Silicone rubber foam brush

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10469026-B2
Application number	US-201816030076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2018
Priority date	Mar 4, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of performing at least one of a cleaning, buffing, and polishing action on a surface, without requiring water, comprises providing a core member having a plurality of C-shaped grooves having respective openings and at least one sheet of material. The at least one sheet of material comprises a closed-cell silicone foam rubber and is attached to the core member using a coil-shaped element and has a first free end portion extending away from the core member. The core member moves by rotation in a first direction such that a portion of the at least one sheet of material is brought into sliding contact with the surface in a repeating pattern. The sliding contact between the at least one sheet of material and the surface occurs under a pressure and relative velocity sufficient to generate a force that results in at least one of a cleaning, buffing, and polishing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of performing at least one of a cleaning, buffing, and polishing action on a surface, without requiring water, comprising the steps of:
providing a core member having a plurality of C-shaped grooves having respective openings;
providing at least one sheet of material, the at least one sheet of material being comprised of closed-cell silicone foam rubber and having a first free end portion, wherein the at least one sheet of material is attached to the core member using a coil-shaped element, with the first free end portion extending away from the core member; and
rotating the core member to move in a first direction such that a portion of the at least one sheet of material is brought into sliding contact with the surface in a repeating pattern;
wherein the sliding contact between the at least one sheet of material and the surface occurs under a pressure and relative velocity sufficient to generate a force that results in at least one of a cleaning, buffing, and polishing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a dimension of the coil-shaped element in an unbiased state is greater than a width of the respective openings of the C-shaped grooves, and is less than the width of the openings of the C-shaped grooves in a biased state.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one sheet of material includes a plurality sheets of material, each sheet having a free end portion.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the free end portions of the plurality of sheets of material are arranged symmetrically around the core member.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing the core member to move in a second direction, wherein the second direction is a translational direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coil-shaped element is attached to the at least one sheet of material by threading.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface is a solar panel and a light transmission characteristic of the solar panel is improved.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Carrasco Zanini Pablo
• Parrott Brian
• Shehri Ali

Classifications

• A46D1/0207

  Bristles characterised by the choice of material, e.g. metal · CPC title

• F24S40/20

  Cleaning; Removing snow · CPC title

• B08B11/04

  specially adapted for plate glass, e.g. prior to manufacture of windshields · CPC title

• A47L1/00

  Cleaning windows · CPC title

• Y02E10/40

  Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers · CPC title