Window squeegee apparatus

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates generally to squeegee devices and more particularly to a squeegee device with a blade head that is manipulated to clean glass surfaces located deep in recessed corners.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a partial top view of a squeegee apparatus incorporated in the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a left hand end view of the squeegee apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view in enlarged scale taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

#The squeegee apparatus of the present invention includes, generally, an elongated handle 11 received in the barrel of fitting 13 including on the distal end thereof a pair of laterally spaced apart mounting fingers 15. Mounted between the distal end of such fingers 15 is a cross bore defining a squeegee blade mount, generally designated 17, which mounts an elongated squeegee blade, generally designated 19. Mounted on the back side of the mount 17 is a U-shaped kicker, generally designated 21. The kicker 21 is biased to the orientation shown in FIG. 4 by means of a pair of tension springs 25. Thus, the squeegee blade 19 may be drawn to the right hand side of the window pane 27 causing the kicker 21 to engage the abutment wall 29 causing such mount 17 to pivot counterclockwise to the position shown in FIG. 5 to thereby draw the squeegee blade 19 to the right relative to the fitting 13 thereby completing the stroke across the surface of such window pane 27.

#Typically, squeegees are constructed with a rigid connection between the handle and squeegee blade thus disposing the blade at a fixed angle relative to the handle itself. With modern day high rise buildings, such as office towers, the window panes 27 are recessed inwardly from the exterior surface 31 of a building, thus creating abutment walls 33 and 29 at the opposite ends of the window cavity. Oftentimes the window pane 27 may be recessed some five to eight inches from the surface 31 thus creating abutment walls 29 and 33 which are relatively deep, thereby exhibiting a challenge to the window washer who is often working under contract or by piece work thus presenting an incentive to rapidly perform the washing task. Oftentimes the handle 11 is relatively long and the worker must work from a platform elevated high over the city sidewalks. Thus, manipulation of the squeegee to affect a full stroke from one to the other of the window pane 27 exhibits a challenge both from the standpoint of orientation of the worker's body during the entire stroke and from the fact that failure to reorient the handle 11 during such stroke can result in bruising contact of the hands of the workers grasping such handle with the relatively rough surface at the abutment wall 29 or with the corner formed between such wall and the building surface thereby inflicting injury resulting in tremendous discomfort and sometimes disability to the worker.

#The squeegee apparatus of the present invention overcomes this deficiency. The fitting 13 is formed of a conventional tubular barrel shape tapering forwardly and downwardly and expanding laterally outwardly to form a mounting web 35 (FIG. 1). Mounted rigidly to the opposite sides of such web 35 are the respective mounting fingers 15 which extend downwardly to mount at the respective distal ends thereof the opposite ends of a threaded pivot rod 41 having fastener nuts 43 screwed thereonto.