Tool to clean thin ducts including the blowing ducts of recorder musical instruments

Abstract

A tool for cleaning thin ducts and/or channels (“ducts”) including the mouthpiece blowing duct(s) of musical instruments such as recorders and whistles, which tool is a thin plastic-like strip with a tongue (forward) portion followed by a corrugation pattern of wave-like surfaces which must compress in order for the tool to enter and pass through the duct to be cleaned. The user threads the tongue through the duct and grabs the finger-hold portion revealed, then pulls the tool completely through; as the compressed wave-like surfaces travel through the duct they act like squeegees, cleaning the walls and carrying the moisture and debris out; the compressed surfaces decompress/relax once outside the duct restriction. The user cleans the dirty tool on a tissue or towel and the tool is ready for reuse. The tool can be inexpensively mass produced by common methods.

1 . A tool for cleaning ducts comprising an elongated flexible strip with a leading edge, a trailing end, and a patterned region intermediate the leading edge and the trailing end, the patterned region comprising one or more flexible corrugations. 
   
   
       2 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein the depth of the corrugations exceed the height of the duct. 
   
   
       3 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein the leading edge is tapered or rounded. 
   
   
       4 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein there is pierced a utility hole. 
   
   
       5 . The tool of  claim 1  further comprising a flat tongue region between the leading end and the patterned region. 
   
   
       6 . The tool of  claim 5  where the tongue region is longer than the duct. 
   
   
       7 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein the elongated strip comprises a polymer. 
   
   
       8 . The tool of  claim 7  wherein the polymer comprises ABS, PVC, or polypropylene. 
   
   
       9 . The tool of  claim 1  wherein the elongated strip comprises an abrasive. 
   
   
       10 . A tool for cleaning the mouthpiece duct of recorders or other musical instruments, the tool comprising a flexible polymer strip with a rounded leading edge, a flat tongue region adjacent the leading edge, and a pattern of peaks and troughs forming a three dimensional pattern adjacent the tongue region. 
   
   
       11 . The tool of  claim 10  wherein the depth of the peaks and/or troughs exceeds the height of the duct. 
   
   
       12 . The tool of  claim 10  further comprising a piercing defining a utility hole. 
   
   
       13 . A tool for shaping narrow ducts comprising an elongated flexible strip sized to fit the duct and a patterned region, the patterned region comprising one or more flexible corrugations wherein at least a portion of the patterned region comprises an abrasive. 
   
   
       14 . The tool of  claim 13  wherein the depth of the corrugations exceeds the height of the duct. 
   
   
       15 . The tool of  claim 13  further comprising a rounded leading edge and a flat tongue region intermediate the leading edge and the patterned region.