AU2017101161A4 - Lobby dustpan - Google Patents

Abstract

A lobby dustpan disclosed includes a receptacle portion having walls that define an interior space into which debris from a floor surface is able to be collected and stored; a handle portion attachable to the receptacle portion at a connection means; a plurality of projecting elements 5 arranged on a lip located around an opening to the interior space, the plurality of projecting elements adapted to relatively move through bristles of a brush in order to dislodge debris engaged with the bristles such that upon dislodgement, the debris is deposited into the interior space. The handle portion is pivotable about the connection means between a first position such that a rear wall of the receptacle portion is substantially upright and a second position such that 10 the rear wall is substantially flat against the floor surface, the dustpan being disposed to return to the first position when the dustpan is lifted away from the floor surface.

Description

2017101161 25 Aug 2017

LOBBY DUSTPAN

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a device for collecting storing waste items swept from a floor 5 surface. More particularly this invention relates to a lobby dustpan having a receptacle portion mounted to a handle portion.

Background of the Invention

For many years dustpans have been used in combination with brooms in order to sweep 10 debris from a floor surface in order to temporarily store the debris and then dispose of it. The dustpans have evolved into what are called lobby dustpans in which a user need not bend down but can, from a standing position, grip a handle with one hand which is attached to the receptacle portion of the dustpan and with the other hand use a broom to sweep the debris into the receptacle portion. The user can then walk to another position to collect other debris from the 15 floor surface. A particular problem with some of the debris collected is that it remains attached to the bristles of the brush and it becomes a problem when the user tries to sweep other areas. The brush will not work as effectively as before when collecting the further debris, and it creates more work for the user. If the user tries to remove the attached debris, without wearing gloves or 20 other hand protection, this would potentially be done in an unhygienic manner and the user also risks injury to his/her hands if sharp objects are collected from the bristles.

Therefore there is a need to provide a means by which debris can be removed from the bristles of the brush and direct this into the receptacle portion for temporary storage prior to disposal of the collected debris. 25

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a lobby dustpan including: 2017101161 25 Aug 2017 a receptacle portion having a front wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, wherein said walls define an interior space into which debris from a floor surface is able to be collected and stored; a handle portion attachable to said receptacle portion at a connection means; 5 a plurality of projecting elements arranged on a lip located around an opening to said interior space, said plurality of projecting elements adapted to relatively move through bristles of a brash in order to dislodge debris engaged with the bristles such that upon dislodgement, the debris is deposited into the interior space; wherein the handle portion is pivotable about said connection means between a 10 first position in which the dustpan is in an inactive state such that the rear wall is substantially upright and a second position in which the dustpan is in a useable active state such that the rear wall is substantially flat against the floor surface, the dustpan being disposed to return to the first position when the dustpan is lifted away from the floor surface.

The handle portion may include first and second members that each have a lower end 15 connectable to a respective side wall through said connection means.

Preferably, the plurality of projecting elements are located in a row on a portion of the lip along the front wall of the receptacle portion, wherein a gap is located on each side of the row of projecting elements before the lip reaches the respective side wall, and wherein further a lower part of each of the first and second members is positionable in a respective gap against the lip in 20 the second position.

The plurality of projecting elements can project outwardly from said lip along the front wall of said receptacle portion, and when said handle portion is against said lip in said second position, the plurality of projecting element are generally orthogonal to the first and second members of the handle portion. 25 Preferably, each of the projecting elements in the plurality of projecting elements is tapered from a base portion of each element affixed to said lip to a tip portion, wherein said tip portion has a cross sectional area smaller than a corresponding base portion of each element. 2017101161 25 Aug 2017

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will hereinafter described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a lobby dustpan according to an embodiment, with the 5 dustpan in a first position, being an inactive or not in use position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged front perspective view of a receptacle portion of the lobby dustpan, with the dustpan in a second position, being an active and in use position;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lobby dustpan of Figure 2 in the active and in use position; and 10 Figure 4 is a side view of the lobby dustpan of Figure 2 in the second and active position.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to all of the Figures there is shown a lobby dustpan 2. The dustpan 2 includes a receptacle portion 4 and a handle portion 6 which is attached to the receptacle portion 4. The 15 handle portion 6 includes two members 28 and 30, that can be of any particular length, which are bridged by a top member 36 and one or more intermediate members 38, 40 and 42 for added strength. Each of the members 28 and 30 at a lower end are arranged for pivotal movement with a suitable connection means 32 and 34 respectively in respective side walls 16 and 14. The dustpan 2 in Figures 1A and IB is shown in an inactive or not-in-use position where the lower 20 part of the members 28 and 30 are in contact with the inside portion of rear wall 10. The receptacle portion 4 includes a front wall 8, the rear wall 10, bottom wall 12 and side walls 14 and 16. Defined by the front wall 8, rear wall 10 and sidewalls 14, 16 is an opening 18 that provides an internal space 22 into which debris can be collected and stored. The opening 18 is surrounded by a rim 20 at a top of the receptacle portion 4, opposite the bottom wall 12. The 25 rear wall 24 is longer in height compared to the front wall 8 so that the entrance to the opening 18, as defined by the rim 20, is angled downwardly from the rear wall 10 to the front wall 8. An inclined edge 27 is defined along the entire top edge 31 of the rear wall 10 to make it easier to sweep or brush debris from the floor surface into the interior space 22.

The connection means 32 and 34, that connect members 28 and 30 of handle portion 6 to the receptacle portion 4, can be a stud that forms part of the lower end of each of the members 28 and 30 that fit into a respective aperture, in a snap fit configuration, into the side walls 16 and 14 of the receptacle portion 4. Alternatively a rivet may be used to connect the lower ends of the 5 members 28 and 30 to the side walls 16 and 14. A further alternative, instead of using a pair of elongate members in the handle portion 6, is to use a single shaft that is connected to the connections means through a yoke which uses a pair of shorter length members. In this manner the handle portion 6 is able to rotate about the connection points through about 100° from the first position, where the dustpan 2 is in the inactive position shown in Figure 1 to the second 10 position, which is the active position shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The handle portion 6 is biased to move to the inactive position shown in Figure 1 when the receptacle portion 4 is lifted up from the floor surface. 2017101161 25 Aug 2017

In order to attain the position shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, where a user can actively collect debris from the floor surface, the user places the edge 33 between rear wall 10 and 15 bottom wall 12 on the surface and gives a slight push downwardly on the handle portion 6. The distal ends of the respective members 28 and 30 then pivot about the connection means 32 and 34 and gradually the receptacle portion 4 is rotated until the rear wall 10 comes into full contact with the surface to be swept. Each time the rear wall 10 is removed from the surface or lifted up using the handle portion 6, the dustpan 2 reverts to its inactive first position shown in Figure 1. 20 Positioned on the top edge or lip 26 of front wall 8 is a plurality of projecting elements 24, which can be regarded as a set of teeth, with each projecting element tapering to an outer point 25 from where they are connected to or integrally formed with the lip 26 on the rim 20 adjacent the front wall 8. The teeth 24 are approximately 30mm in length and at the outer point or tip portion 25 are about 2mm across while and at the base portion 29 where it connects with 25 the lip 26, each tooth 24 has dimensions of approximately 7mm x 5mm. The purpose of the teeth 24 are to enable the user, when debris such as hair or other large items are stuck or adhered to the bristles of the brush, to remove the adhered debris from the bristles of the brush by drawing the bristles through or across the teeth 24. The previously adhered debris then falls out and is deposited into the interior space 22 of the receptacle portion 4. The series of projecting 30 elements or teeth 24 do not extend fully across the whole length of the top edge or lip 26 of front wall 8. Instead, a pair of gaps 35, 37 are located from a respective last tooth in the plurality of teeth 24 to a respective side wall 14 or 16. This is so that the lower parts of the members 28 and 30 of the handle portion 6 are able to freely swing through the arch created by moving from the 2017101161 25 Aug 2017 first position to the second position, that is from the inactive position to the active position, and vice-versa. Thus, as seen in Figures 2 and 3 lower portions of the members 28 and 30 are able to contact the top edge or lip 26 at the front wall 8. When the members 28, 30 are in contact with the lip 26 at the front wall 8 there is still some clearance to the nearest tooth from the respective 5 members 28 and 30.

Referring to Figure 4 the connection portion 32 and 34 are not positioned near the centre of the respective walls 16 and 14. This is to provide an automatic biasing action when the user has finished sweeping the floor and lifts the dustpan 2 upwardly, using the handle portion 6, so that the receptacle portion 4 automatically swings or pivots around the connection means 32 and 10 34 to resume the inactive position shown in Figures 1A and IB. In this manner the user can keep the collected debris within the interior space 22 and cany the pan to a desired location by gripping the handle portion 6. It is a simple matter of emptying the contents of the receptacle portion 4 into a suitable container, such as a bin.

Also shown in Figure 4 is a connection means or a pair of clips 44 and 46 respectively 15 formed in intermediate members 38 and 42. This is to enable a handle of a broom to be snap-fitted into the clips 44 and 46 for easy access and stowage of the broom. The plurality of projecting elements, or teeth 24, are substantially perpendicular or orthogonal to the elongate members 28, 30 of the handle portion 6, in the second active position.

The receptacle portion 4, teeth 24 and handle portion 6 can be made from suitable 20 plastics material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. 5

Claims (5)

1. The claims defining the invention are as follows:

   1. A lobby dustpan including: a receptacle portion having a front wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, wherein said walls define an interior space into which debris from a floor surface is able to be collected and stored; a handle portion attachable to said receptacle portion at a connection means; a plurality of projecting elements arranged on a lip located around an opening to said interior space, said plurality of projecting elements adapted to relatively move through bristles of a brush in order to dislodge debris engaged with the bristles such that upon dislodgement, the debris is deposited into the interior space; wherein the handle portion is pivotable about said connection means between a first position in which the dustpan is in an inactive state such that the rear wall is substantially upright and a second position in which the dustpan is in a useable active state such that the rear wall is substantially flat against the floor surface, the dustpan being disposed to return to the first position when the dustpan is lifted away from the floor surface.
2. 2. A lobby dustpan according to claim 1 wherein the handle portion includes first and second members that each have a lower end connectable to a respective side wall through said connection means.
3. 3. A lobby dustpan according to claim 2 wherein the plurality of projecting elements are located in a row on a portion of the lip along the front wall of the receptacle portion, wherein a gap is located on each side of the row of projecting elements before the lip reaches the respective side wall, and wherein further a lower part of each of the first and second members is positionable in a respective said gap against the lip in the second position.
4. 4. A lobby dustpan according to claim 3 wherein the plurality of projecting elements project outwardly from said lip along the front wall of said receptacle portion, and when said handle portion is against said lip in said second position, the plurality of projecting element are generally orthogonal to the first and second members of the handle portion.
5. 5. A lobby dustpan according to claim 4 wherein each of the projecting elements in the plurality of projecting elements is tapered from a base portion of each element affixed to said lip to a tip portion, wherein said tip portion has an area smaller than a corresponding base portion of each element. /j