dustpan

1 the quantity that a dustpan will hold [syn: dustpanful]

2 a short-handled receptacle into which dust can be swept

English

Noun

1. A flat scoop with a short handle, into which dust is conveyed with a brush

A dustpan is a cleaning utensil, commonly used in combination with a broom. The dustpan may appear to be a type of flat scoop. It is often hand held for home use, but industrial and commercial enterprises often use a hinged variety on the end of a stick to prevent the user from constantly stooping to use it. Handheld dustpans may be used with either a full-size broom or with a smaller whisk broom or brush sometimes called a duster. This second combination may be sold as one unit.

It was invented by the American inventor T.E. McNeill in 1858 (http://www.google.com/patents?id=02xbAAAAEBAJ&dq=20811)

Also the Lloyd P. Ray was the first black man to make improvements to the dust pan. In Aug 3, 1897, he received a U.S. patent # 587607 for a device with a wooden handle attached to a metal collection plate so that trash could be collected orderly.