# US 9,750,336 B2 · Reservoir handle for a cleaning element such as a brush, wiper or similar

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- Number: US 9,750,336 B2
- Document ID: US9750336B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/674,259
- Filed: 2015-03-31
- Published: 2015-10-01
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-04-01
- Assignees: Waak Bw V.Z.W.
- Applicants: Waak-Bw Vzw
- Inventors: Kris Vandenbroucke
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9750336B2

## CPC

- A46B 11/0062: {Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for being refilled when empty}
- A47L 13/22: with liquid-feeding devices
- B25G 3/36: Lap joints; Riveted, screwed, or like joints (socket, tang, or like fixings B25G3/02)
- A46B: BRUSHES (handles not integral with brushware B25G)
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- B25G: HANDLES FOR HAND IMPLEMENTS (attaching the blades or the like to handles of hand tools for soil working A01B1/22; handles of hand implements for harvesting A01D1/14; handles integral with brushware A46B)

## Abstract

Reservoir handle for a cleaning element (2) that is provided with a handle (3) in the form of a refillable reservoir (15) for liquid with a filler opening (14) and outlet (16, 33) with an operable valve (17) and an operating button (8) that can be pushed in axially to open the valve (17) to let liquid out of the reservoir (15), whereby the operating button (8) includes a stopper (25) for the reservoir (15) that is axially movable in the handle (3) between a closed position in which the reservoir (15) is closed when the operating button (8) is not pressed in and a filling position in which the reservoir (15) is connected to the environment via the filler opening (14) in order to be able to fill the reservoir (15).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A reservoir handle for a cleaning element (2), the reservoir handle comprising:
a handle (3) comprised of a hollow tube (3′) that forms a refillable reservoir (15) for liquid within the hollow tube (3′), the refillable reservoir (15) having a reservoir top and a reservoir bottom, the hollow tube (3′) having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the bottom end is fastenable to the cleaning element (2);
an extension piece (7) that extends the top end of the hollow tube (3′);
a lateral filler opening (14) extending through a wall of the extension piece (7);
an outlet (16, 33) located at the reservoir bottom;
an operable valve (17) that opens and closes the outlet (16, 33);
an operating button (8) affixed to the extension piece (7), the operating button (8) being connected to the valve (17), the operating button (8) being affixed movably in an axial direction on the handle (3),
wherein pushing the operating button (8) in the axial direction opens the valve (17) to let liquid out of the reservoir (15),
wherein the operating button (8) comprises a stopper (25) that is axially movable in the extension piece (7) between i) a closed position in which the reservoir (15) is closed off from the environment when the operating button (8) is not pressed in and ii) a filling position in which the reservoir (15) is connected to the environment via the filler opening (14) in order to be able to fill the reservoir (15).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The reservoir handle according to claim 1, wherein the extension piece (7) is constructed as a cylindrical tubular form and that the stopper (25) is provided with a seal (26) for sealing the stopper (25) in the extension piece (7), whereby the stopper (25) is affixed movably in the axial direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The reservoir handle according to claim 2, wherein the operating button is provided with a cap (24) that fits over a top end of the extension piece (7) and which is connected to the stopper (25).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The reservoir handle according to claim 3, further comprising a first screwed connection between the extension piece (7) and the operating button (8) to be able to screw the operating button (8) on the extension piece (7) during assembly.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The reservoir handle according to claim 2, further comprising a first screwed connection between the extension piece (7) and the operating button (8), the first screwed connection allowing the operating button (8) to be screwed on the extension piece (7) during assembly.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The reservoir handle according to claim 5, further comprising a second screwed connection between the extension piece (7) and the operating button (8), the second screwed connection allowing the stopper (25) to be moved axially in the extension piece (7) until the seal (26) of the stopper (25) is below a level of the filler opening (14), corresponding to the closed position.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The reservoir handle according to claim 6, wherein the operating button (8), or extension piece (7), is provided with a threaded section (30) that can mate with a first threaded section (9) on the extension piece (7), or operating button (8), to form the first screwed connection (9-30), and together with a second threaded section (10) on the extension piece (7), or operating button (8), to form the second screwed connection (10-30), whereby the first and second threaded sections (9 and 10) are at an axial distance (C) from one another.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The reservoir handle according to claim 7, wherein the second threaded section (10) is located closer to the bottom end of the handle (3) than the first threaded section (9).

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The reservoir handle according to claim 8, wherein the second threaded section (10) and the threaded section (30) mating therewith are positioned on the extension piece (7) and on the operating button (8) such that, when the second threaded section (10) is screwed in the direction of the bottom end of the handle (3) past the threaded section (30) mating therewith, the operating button (8) can be pressed over a certain distance to be able to use this operating button (8) to open the aforementioned valve (17) during use for cleaning.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The reservoir handle according to claim 7, wherein the second threaded section (10) and the threaded section (30) mating therewith are positioned on the extension piece (7) and on the operating button (8) such that, when the second threaded section (10) is screwed in the direction of the bottom end of the handle (3) past the threaded section (30) mating therewith, and the operating button (8) can be pressed over a certain distance to be able to use the operating button (8) to open the valve (17) during use for cleaning.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The reservoir handle according to claim 10, wherein the filler opening (14) at least partially extends in the axial direction below the second threaded section (10).

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The reservoir handle according to claim 7, wherein the threaded section (30) and the first and second threaded sections (9, 10) are provided on the outside surface of the extension piece (7) and on the inside surface of the cap (24).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The reservoir handle according to claim 12, wherein the threaded section (30) and the first and second threaded sections (9, 10) protrude out of the outside surfaces of the extension piece (7) and the cap (24).

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The reservoir handle according to claim 12, wherein the inside diameter (G) of the threaded sections (30) on the cap (24) is equal to or greater than the outside diameter (A) of the outside surface of a cylindrical end of the extension piece (7) and/or the outside diameter (E) of the threaded sections (9, 10) on the handle (3) is equal to or smaller than the inside diameter (F) of the inside surface of the cap (24).

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The reservoir handle according to claim 1, wherein the operating button (8) is connected to the valve (17) by a rod (21) that extends through the reservoir (15) and which is movably held by one end in an axial guide (22) of the operating button (8).

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The reservoir handle according to claim 15, wherein the axial guide (22) is a close-tolerance bore with a widened conical entrance (23).

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The reservoir handle according to claim 16, wherein the valve (17) is provided with a disk (18) that is operated by the rod (21) and which is pushed against a seat (20) by a spring (19) in order to keep the valve (17) closed, and a length of the rod (21) and a depth of the guide (22) are harmonised to one another such that the rod pushes the operating button (8) upwards due to the action of the spring (19) up to a position whereby the second threaded section (10) and the threaded section (30) mating therewith move towards abutment against one another, and whereby the seal (26) is below the level of the filler opening (14).

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The reservoir handle according to claim 17, wherein one or more cutaways (34) are provided in the inside wall of a cylindrical end of the extension piece (7) below the level of the seal (26) when the operating button (8) is not pressed that ensure that when the seal passes such a cutaway, when the operating button (8) is pressed in to open the valve (17), the reservoir (15) is connected to the environment via the filler opening (14).

### Claim 19

A reservoir handle for a cleaning element (2), the reservoir handle comprising:
a hollow cylindrical part (3′, 7) having an upper end, a lower end, and hollow region located between the upper and lower ends, wherein the bottom end is fastenable to the cleaning element (2);
a refillable reservoir (15) for liquid located within the hollow region, the refillable reservoir (15) having a reservoir top and a reservoir bottom;
a lateral filler opening (14) extending through a wall of the upper end of the hollow cylindrical part;
an outlet (16, 33) located at the reservoir bottom;
an operable valve (17) that opens and closes the outlet (16, 33);
an operating button (8) affixed to the upper end of the hollow cylindrical part, the operating button (8) being connected to the valve (17), the operating button (8) being affixed movably in an axial direction on the upper end of the hollow cylindrical part,
wherein pushing the operating button (8) in the axial direction opens the valve (17) to let liquid out of the reservoir (15), and
wherein the operating button (8) comprises a stopper (25) that is axially movable in the upper end of the hollow cylindrical part between i) a closed position in which the reservoir (15) is closed off from the environment when the operating button (8) is not pressed in, and ii) a filling position in which the reservoir (15) is connected to the environment via the filler opening (14) in order to be able to fill the reservoir (15).

### Claim 20

An extension piece (7) for use on a reservoir handle (3) that forms a refillable reservoir (15), the having a bottom end that is fastenable to a cleaning element (2), the extension piece (7) comprising:
a tubular cylindrical body having a cylindrical wall that defines, at cross-sections along a longitudinal length of the tubular cylindrical body, an outside diameter (A) and an inside diameter (B) of the tubular cylindrical body;
a first threaded section (9) located on an exterior surface of the tubular cylindrical body at an upper end of the tubular cylindrical body, an outside diameter (E) of the first threaded section (9) being greater than the outside diameter (A) of the tubular cylindrical body;
a second threaded section (10) located on the exterior surface of the tubular cylindrical body at the upper end of the tubular cylindrical body, the a second threaded section (10) being spaced apart from the first threaded section (9), an outside diameter (E) of the second threaded section (10) being greater than the outside diameter (A) of the tubular cylindrical body;
a lateral filler opening (14) extending through the tubular cylindrical body, the lateral filler opening (14) partially overlapping the second threaded section (10);
a handgrip (6) provided on the exterior surface of the tubular cylindrical body at a lower end of the tubular cylindrical body,
wherein the first and second threaded sections (9, 10) divide the upper end of the tubular cylindrical body into a top zone (11) at the uppermost end of the tubular cylindrical body, an intermediate zone (12) between the first and second threaded sections (9, 10), and a lower zone (13) between the second threaded section (10) and the handgrip (6), each of the top zone, the intermediate zone, and the lower zone being without screw thread, wherein,
the inside diameter (B) of the tubular cylindrical body at the lower zone (13) is less that the inside diameter (B) of the tubular cylindrical body at the lower end of the tubular cylindrical body comprising the handgrip (6),
an interior of the lower end of the tubular cylindrical body comprising the handgrip (6) fits onto a top end of the reservoir handle (3) that forms the refillable reservoir (15) to thereby extend the top end of the reservoir handle (3),
the first threaded section (9) is engagable to mate with a threaded section (30) located on an interior surface of a cylindrical shell (29) of a cap (24) comprising a stopper (25) with a base that mounts a seal (26), such that when threaded on the first threaded section (9), the lateral filler opening (14) is exposed for accepting liquid, and
the second threaded section (10) is engagable to mate with the threaded section (30) such that when threaded on the second threaded section (10), the seal (26) seals against an interior of the tubular cylindrical body at a cross-section that includes the lower zone (13).