Grill cleaning utensil

Abstract

A cleaning utensil is disclosed having a housing comprised of a cleaning portion and a handle portion. The housing has a reservoir and a pump. The reservoir is adapted to contain a fluid. The cleaning portion has a scrubbing surface and an orifice, and the handle portion has an actuator. The pump communicates with the reservoir, the orifice, and the actuator; whereby actuation of the actuator causes the fluid to be drawn from the reservoir and exhausted from the orifice by the pump. The orifice is arranged and adapted to cause the fluid to be exhausted forwardly from the cleaning portion. A bristled scrubbing element is removably affixable to the cleaning portion and has a scrubbing surface extending up first and second opposite side surfaces of the cleaning portion and across a bottom surface of the cleaning portion from the first side to the second side.

1 . A cleaning utensil comprising:
 a housing comprising a cleaning portion, a handle portion, a reservoir, and a pump,
 the reservoir adapted to contain a fluid, 
 the cleaning portion having a scrubbing surface and an orifice, and 
 the handle portion having an actuator; 
   the pump fluidly communicating with the reservoir, the orifice, and the actuator; whereby actuation of the actuator forces the fluid to be drawn from the reservoir and sprayed from the orifice by the pump.   
   
   
       2 . The utensil of  claim 1  wherein the housing is elongate with the handle portion disposed rearwardly thereon and the cleaning portion disposed forwardly of the handle portion, and wherein the orifice is disposed substantially forward-most on the cleaning portion and arranged and adapted to cause the fluid to be exhausted forwardly from the cleaning portion. 
   
   
       3 . The utensil of  claim 2  wherein the pump comprises a piston in cooperation with and movable relative to a cylinder to form a fluid compartment having a changeable compartment volume, and the changeable compartment volume is filled with fluid drawn from the reservoir as the changeable volume expands, and wherein the handle portion comprises a linkage connecting the actuator to the piston, and wherein actuation of the actuator forces the piston into the cylinder to reduce the changeable compartment volume and thereby force the fluid therein from the orifice. 
   
   
       4 . The utensil of  claim 3  wherein the pump and cylinder are biased towards an expanded volume state. 
   
   
       5 . The utensil of  claim 4  wherein the pump and cylinder are biased towards the expanded volume state by a spring, and wherein said spring further biases the actuator through the linkage to an unactuated state. 
   
   
       6 . The utensil of  claim 5  further comprising a check valve fluidly disposed between the reservoir and the pump and adapted to prevent backdraw of fluid from the pump to the reservoir. 
   
   
       7 . The utensil of  claim 6  wherein the orifice is further arranged and adapted to cause the fluid to be exhausted forwardly from the cleaning portion in a forwardly expanding fan-shaped mist. 
   
   
       8 . A cleaning utensil comprising:
 a housing comprising a cleaning portion and a handle portion,
 the cleaning portion being disposed forwardly of the handle portion; 
   the housing having a reservoir adapted to contain a fluid;   the cleaning portion having a scrubbing surface and an orifice; wherein   the housing has a filling port disposed approximate the cleaning portion for enabling the fluid to be added to the reservoir there-through.   
   
   
       9 . The utensil of  claim 9  wherein the housing further comprises a pump, and the handle portion comprises an actuator; and wherein the pump fluidly communicates with the reservoir, the orifice, and the actuator; whereby actuation of the actuator forces the fluid to be drawn from the reservoir and sprayed from the orifice by the pump. 
   
   
       10 . The utensil of  claim 9  wherein the housing is elongate with the handle portion disposed rearwardly thereon and the cleaning portion disposed forwardly of the handle portion, and wherein the orifice is disposed substantially forward-most on the cleaning portion and arranged and adapted to cause the fluid to be exhausted forwardly from the cleaning portion. 
   
   
       11 . The utensil of  claim 10  wherein the pump comprises a piston in cooperation with and movable relative to a cylinder to form a fluid compartment having a changeable compartment volume, and the changeable compartment volume is filled with fluid drawn from the reservoir as the changeable volume expands, and wherein the handle portion comprises a linkage connecting the actuator to the piston, and wherein actuation of the actuator forces the piston into the cylinder to reduce the changeable compartment volume and thereby force the fluid therein from the orifice. 
   
   
       12 . The utensil of  claim 11  wherein the pump and cylinder are biased towards an expanded volume state. 
   
   
       13 . The utensil of  claim 12  wherein the pump and cylinder are biased towards the expanded volume state by a spring, and wherein said spring further biases the actuator through the linkage to an unactuated state. 
   
   
       14 . The utensil of  claim 13  further comprising a check valve fluidly disposed between the reservoir and the pump and adapted to prevent backdraw of fluid from the pump to the reservoir. 
   
   
       15 . The utensil of  claim 14  wherein the orifice is further arranged and adapted to cause the fluid to be exhausted forwardly from the cleaning portion in a forwardly expanding fan-shaped mist. 
   
   
       16 . A cleaning utensil comprising:
 a housing having a cleaning portion at a forward end and a handle portion at a rearward end;   a scrubbing element removably affixable to the cleaning portion and having a scrubbing surface extending up first and second opposite side surfaces of the cleaning portion and across a bottom surface of the cleaning portion from the first side to the second side.   
   
   
       17 . The utensil of  claim 16  wherein the scrubbing element comprises a female dovetail taper and a first connector portion and the cleaning portion comprises a male dovetail taper and a second connector portion; and wherein the female dovetail taper is matingly received by the male dovetail taper to secure the scrubbing element to the cleaning head in a side-to-side direction, and the first connector portion is matingly received by the second connector portion to secure the scrubbing element to the cleaning head in a forward-rearward direction. 
   
   
       18 . The utensil of  claim 17  wherein the female and male dovetail tapers are compound dovetail tapers, matingly tapering inward in an upward direction to secure the bristled scrubbing element to the cleaning head in upward-downward direction. 
   
   
       19 . The utensil of  claim 18  wherein the housing has a reservoir adapted to contain a fluid and the cleaning portion has an orifice communicating with the reservoir and adapted to allow the fluid to be drawn from the reservoir and exhausted there-through; wherein the orifice is disposed apart from of the scrubbing element. 
   
   
       20 . The utensil of  claim 19  wherein the housing has a filling port disposed approximate the cleaning portion for enabling the fluid to be added to the reservoir there-through; the housing further comprises a pump; and the handle portion comprises an actuator; and wherein the pump fluidly communicates with the reservoir, the orifice, and the actuator; whereby actuation of the actuator forces the fluid to be drawn from the reservoir and sprayed from the orifice by the pump.