MOPS WITH ONE OR MORE CLEANING MEMBERS
Mops comprising one or more cleaning members. In select embodiments, the cleaning members are releasably secured to the mop and may be capable of compression. In these embodiments, the different cleaning members enable the mop to operate in a plurality of different modes, including a wringing mop mode, a damp mop mode and a dust mop mode. In other embodiments, a portion of the handle of the mop is adapted to hold and release a fluid, such as a cleaning solution. In these embodiments, the user may cause release of the fluid through one or more openings associated with the mop.
Latest QUICKIE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION Patents:
This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 10/608,908, filed Jun. 24, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to mops, and more particularly to mops comprising one or more cleaning members. The present invention further relates to mops adapted to hold and release a fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONMops comprising various features are disclosed.
In one embodiment, a mop comprising, a handle defining a cavity adapted to hold a fluid; a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises a cleaning member releasably connectable to pivotally connected platens; at least one opening wherein the at least one opening is associated with the mop head and positioned above a bottom surface of the cleaning member; and a valve positioned between the at least one opening and the cavity wherein the valve is in fluid communication with the cavity and the valve is in fluid communication with the at least one opening, wherein the valve is moveable from a position which blocks fluid communication between the at least one opening and the cavity to another position wherein the at least one opening is placed in fluid communication with the cavity.
In another embodiment, a mop comprising, a handle; a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises pivotally connected platens and wherein the platens each comprise a top and a bottom surface; a first cleaning member securable to the mop head and adapted to overlie at least one of the bottom surface of the pivotally connected platens; a second cleaning member positioned to overlie the first cleaning member wherein the first cleaning member is positioned between the second cleaning member and the bottom surface of at least one of the pivotally connected platens wherein the second cleaning member releasably secures to at least one of the platens; and a cleaning surface associated with the mop head.
In yet another embodiment, a mop comprising, a handle; a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises pivotally connected platens and wherein each of the platens comprise a top and a bottom surface; and a cleaning member comprising a sheet wherein the sheet is positionable to directly overlie the bottom surface of at least one of the platens and wherein the sheet releasably secures to at least one of the platens.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSCertain embodiments of the presently claimed invention are illustrated by the accompanying figures. It should be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that details which are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may be omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
The present invention relates to mops comprising one or more cleaning members. In select embodiments, a plurality of cleaning members may be releasably secured to the mop and a portion of the cleaning members may be capable of compression. In these embodiments, the different cleaning members enable the mop of the present invention to operate in a plurality of different modes, including a wringing mop mode, a damp mop mode and a dust mop mode. In other embodiments, a portion of the handle of the mop of the present invention is adapted to hold and release a fluid, such as a cleaning solution. In these embodiments, the user may cause release of the fluid through one or more openings associated with the mop.
Referring now to
As shown in
In
Many arrangements for causing compression of a portion of the first and second cleaning members 24 and 26 are suitable for purposes of the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, a so-called butterfly mop arrangement may be employed. As shown in
The hinged platen 34 of this embodiment further comprises a support member 28 and a pair of opposing plates 46 and 48, rotatably secured about a common pivot access A. Manual force on the first actuator 18 toward the lower end 16 of the handle 12 rotates the opposing plates 46 and 48 about the common pivot axis A, thereby causing compression of a portion of the first and second cleaning members 24 and 26. Thus, the hinged platen 34 may be pivoted between a cleaning position in which the mop may be used to absorb soil and other debris and a compressed position for releasing soil-carrying liquids from the first and second cleaning members 24 and 26. Ramps 49 disposed on the first side 36 of the hinged platen 34 on either side of handle 12 may be used to facilitate rotation of the opposing plates 46 and 48 about the common pivot axis A through movement of the opposing arms 42 and 44 into the ramps 49.
Alternatively, the mop head 22 may comprise a pair of spaced apart roller members (not shown) associated with the first actuator 18 through the connector 32. As with the butterfly arrangement, manual force applied to the first actuator 18 causes compression of a portion of the first and second cleaning members 24 and 26. Most often, the roller members are positioned transverse to the handle 12 and are parallel, but not co-linear with one another. In one embodiment, each roller member comprises a single piece integral roller including three separate cylindrical segments, separated by cylindrical axle sections or undercuts of reduced diameters. The cylindrical axle sections or undercuts are provided so that the rollers may be engaged by extensions associated with the mop head 22.
In either of these embodiments, the mop head 22 can be provided in various shapes and sizes. The mop head 22 may also be configured for many different types of cleaning, such as cleaning walls, around corners, furniture and the like.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, one embodiment of the mop 10 comprises multiple cleaning members. In select embodiments, each of the cleaning members may be releasably secured to the second side 38 of the hinged platen 34. As shown in
In embodiments where the first cleaning member 24 is constructed of a sponge-like material, a porous material is typically employed. For example, the first cleaning member may be constructed of cellulose, polyester, polyether or a blend thereof. As shown in
In embodiments where the second and third cleaning members 26 and 27 are constructed of a dry sheet or pre-moistened sheet, a cellulosic material is typically employed. Natural cellulosics, as well as synthetics like polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene), polyester, polyamids and blends thereof are suitable. Also useful are natural fibers, such as cotton or blends and those derived from various cellulosic sources. The pre-moistened sheet may be moistened by the manufacturer or by the user after purchase.
The inherent properties of the multiple cleaning members may vary. The cleaning members may, for example, be disposable, re-usable and even reversible. Further, the composition of each of the cleaning members may change, depending on the needs of the user.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, shown in
As illustrated in
Referring once again to
Other securement structures may be utilized. Similar to the first cleaning member 24, the second and third cleaning members 26 and 27 may be releasably secured to the hinged platen 34 or over the first cleaning member 24 by clips or hooks. In addition, a hook and loop arrangement, sold under the trademark VELCRO® and available from Velcro USA, Inc. of Manchester, N.H. may be employed. The Velcro may be disposed on the first side 36 of the hinged platen 34 and on appropriate locations on the second and third cleaning members 26 and 27.
In another aspect, use of the different cleaning members allows one embodiment of the mop of the present invention to be used in a plurality of different modes. First, by securing the first cleaning member 24 directly to the hinged platen 34, the mop 10 of the present invention may be used as a wet mop with wringing capabilities. Second, by securing the second cleaning member 26 over the first cleaning member 24 or directly to the hinged platen 34, the mop 10 of the present invention may be used as a dust mop. Third, by securing the third cleaning member 27 over the first cleaning member 24 or directly to the hinged platen 34, the mop 10 of the present invention may be used as a damp mop. This aspect is convenient for the user, who does not need to purchase separate mops for separate tasks.
In other aspects, a cleaning surface such as a scrubber 100, often utilized for tough ground-in dirt, may be releasably secured to the mop head 22. As shown in
To releasably secure the scrubber 100 to the mop head 22, certain features on the support member 28 and the squeeze member 40 may be utilized. As shown in
Scrubber 100 may be attached to mop head 22 by pivoting the opposing plates 46 and 48 of the hinged platen 34 about their common pivot axis, as shown in
Removal of scrubber 100 may be accomplished by pivoting the opposing plates 46 and 48 of the hinged platen 34 about their common pivot axis A and manually holding the opposing arms 42 and 44 of squeeze member 40 together. Squeeze member 40 is then removed, and the detent tabs 106 of scrubber are slid off of the cut-outs 29 and 30 of support member 28.
In an alternate embodiment, shown in
In this embodiment, support member 28 itself comprises the attachment surface 202. As shown in
In addition to the above-identified ways in which the scrubber and support member are releasably secured to the mop head, other structures may be employed. For example, a bayonet fitting or a T-bar, which are known to those of skill in the art are suitable.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, mop 10 may be adapted to hold and release a fluid, such as a cleaning solution. As seen in
In select embodiments, the portion is in the form of a cavity 62 disposed within the handle 12. Use of the cavity 62 eliminates the need for a removable container for holding the fluid. In turn, this eliminates added costs associated with the manufacture of the removable container. Further, the absence of the separate container, makes the mop easier to handle and maneuver and also facilitates inclusion of a wringing feature, which the removable container may interfere with when it is disposed on the handle. Under this construction, the handle may, in certain embodiments, comprise a substantially uniform cross-section.
To fill the cavity 62 with fluid, a user may pour the fluid through an opening 1, disposed on a surface of the handle 12. The opening may be disposed anywhere on the handle 12, including on its top surface 7. As shown in
In still another aspect of the present invention, the fluid is released through the one or more openings 64, 65 and 66 disposed on the support member 28 or scrubber 100 or 200. As shown in
The fluid is typically released in the form of a spray or stream. One embodiment of the present invention therefore employs a valve assembly for releasing the fluid. Generally, the mop of this embodiment comprises a handle, which includes a portion for holding the fluid. The handle also includes an opening. The mop further comprises a valve assembly for releasing the fluid from the opening in the portion of the handle. The valve assembly itself includes a valve positioned to cover the opening in the portion of the handle, which prevents fluid release. To release the fluid, the valve is movable to a position to uncover the opening.
A more detailed valve assembly for releasing the fluid is shown in
As shown in
In operation, the valve assembly 67 is activated by the second actuator 20. As shown in
Before activation of the second actuator 20, the valve assembly 67 is maintained in a closed position, as shown in
As shown in
The fluid is ultimately released as a spray or stream from the one or more openings 64, 65 and 66 under the force of gravity. Thus, to the extent the handle is full, a larger volume of fluid is released from the one or more openings 64, 65 and 66 through the valve assembly 67. Of course, even if the handle 12 is not completely full of fluid, the valve assembly 67 is capable of releasing fluid from the one or more openings 64, 65 and 66.
Variations, modifications and other implementations of what is described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is in no way limited by the preceding illustrative description.
Claims
1. A mop comprising:
- a handle defining a cavity adapted to hold a fluid;
- a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises a cleaning member releasably connectable to pivotally connected platens;
- at least one opening wherein the at least one opening is associated with the mop head and positioned above a bottom surface of the cleaning member; and
- a valve positioned between the at least one opening and the cavity wherein the valve is in fluid communication with the cavity and the valve is in fluid communication with the at least one opening, wherein the valve is moveable from a position which blocks fluid communication between the at least one opening and the cavity to another position wherein the at least one opening is placed in fluid communication with the cavity.
2. The mop of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the handle is constructed of a wall member forming a hollow, generally cylindrical shape.
3. The mop of claim 2 wherein the cavity comprises a substantially uniform cross section within and along the hollow, generally cylindrical shape.
4. The mop of claim 1 wherein a transparent window is disposed in the handle providing visual access to the cavity.
5. The mop of claim 1 wherein an opening is defined in the handle and is in fluid communication with the cavity to provide fluid access to the cavity.
6. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a first actuator connected to the pivotally connected platens wherein actuation of the first actuator urges the pivotally connected platens to converge and compress the cleaning member.
7. The mop of claim 1 wherein the cleaning member is constructed of at least one of a sponge and a sponge-like material and wherein the cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens.
8. The mop of claim 7 wherein the cleaning member is realeasably secured to at least one of the platens with one of hook and loop fastener, slides, clips and screws.
9. The mop of claim 1 wherein the mop head further comprises a second cleaning member releasably secured to at least one of the platens.
10. The mop of claim 9 wherein the second cleaning member comprises a sheet.
11. The mop of claim 10 wherein the sheet comprises one of a dry sheet and a moist sheet.
12. The mop of claim 10 wherein the second cleaning member is constructed of at least one of natural fibers such as cotton fiber, natural cellulosics and synthetics such as polyolefins, polyester and polyamids.
13. The mop of claim 10 wherein the first cleaning member is positioned between the platens and the second cleaning member and wherein the second cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of a top side and bottom side of at least one of the platens.
14. The mop of claim 13 wherein the second cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens with one of pins, hook and loop fasteners and clips.
15. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a second actuator connected to the valve to move the valve between the position and the other position.
16. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a scrubber associated with the mop head wherein the scrubber comprises an abrasive surface.
17. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a cleaning surface associated with the mop head.
18. The mop of claim 17 wherein the cleaning surface comprises one of an abrasive surface and a brush.
19. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a second actuator connected to the valve wherein the valve is moved from the position to the other position when the second actuator is actuated.
20. A mop comprising:
- a handle;
- a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises pivotally connected platens and wherein the platens each comprise a top and a bottom surface;
- a first cleaning member securable to the mop head and adapted to overlie at least one of the bottom surfaces of the pivotally connected platens;
- a second cleaning member positioned to overlie the first cleaning member wherein the first cleaning member is positioned between the second cleaning member and the bottom surface of at least one of the pivotally connected platens and wherein the second cleaning member releasably secures to at least one of the platens; and
- a cleaning surface associated with the mop head.
21. The mop of claim 20 further comprising a first actuator connected to the pivotally connected platens wherein actuation of the first actuator urges the pivotally connected platens to converge toward one another.
22. The mop of claim 21 wherein the handle defines a cavity adapted to hold a fluid.
23. The mop of claim 21 wherein at least a portion of the handle comprises a hollow, generally cylindrical shape wherein the cavity comprises a substantially uniform cross section within and along the shape.
24. The mop of claim 22 further comprising at least one opening wherein the at least one opening is associated with the mop head and positioned above the platens.
25. The mop of claim 24 further comprising a valve positioned between the at least one opening and the cavity wherein the valve is in fluid communication with the cavity and the valve is in fluid communication with the at least one opening, wherein the valve is moveable from a position which blocks fluid communication between the at least one opening and the cavity to another position wherein the at least one opening is placed in fluid communication with the cavity.
26. The mop of claim 25 further comprising a second actuator connected to the valve wherein the valve is moved from the position to the other position when the second actuator is actuated.
27. The mop of claim 20 wherein the first cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens.
28. The mop of claim 27 wherein the first cleaning member is releasably secured to one of a top and bottom surfaces of at least one of the platens.
29. The mop of claim 28 wherein the first cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens with one of hook and loop fastener, slides, clips and screws.
30. The mop of claim 20 wherein the first cleaning member is constructed of one of a sponge and sponge-like material.
31. The mop of claim 20 further comprising a second cleaning member.
32. The mop of claim 31 wherein the second cleaning member comprises one of a moist sheet and a dry sheet.
33. The mop of claim 31 wherein the second cleaning member is constructed of at least one of natural fibers such as cotton fiber; natural cellulosics; and synthetics such as polyolefins, polyester and polyamids.
34. The mop of claim 31 wherein the second cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of a top side and bottom side of at least one of the platens.
35. The mop of claim 34 wherein the second cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens with one of pins, hook and loop fasteners and clips.
36. The mop of claim 20 wherein the cleaning surface is oriented in a substantially different plane than the pivotally connected platens.
37. The mop of claim 20 wherein the cleaning surface comprises one of an abrasive surface and a brush.
38. A mop comprising:
- a handle;
- a mop head connected to the handle wherein the mop head comprises pivotally connected platens and wherein each of the platens comprise a top and a bottom surface; and
- a cleaning member comprising a sheet wherein the sheet is positionable to directly overlie the bottom surface of at least one of the platens and wherein the sheet releasably secures to at least one of the platens.
39. The mop of claim 38 further comprising a first actuator connected to the pivotally connected platens wherein actuation of the first actuator urges the pivotally connected platens to converge toward one another.
40. The mop of claim 3 8 wherein the handle defines a cavity adapted to hold a fluid.
41. The mop of claim 40 wherein at least a portion of the handle comprises a hollow, generally cylindrical shape wherein the cavity comprises a substantially uniform cross section within and along the shape.
42. The mop of claim 38 further comprising at least one opening wherein the at least one opening is associated with the mop head and positioned above the platens.
43. The mop of claim 42 further comprising a valve positioned between the at least one opening and the cavity wherein the valve is in fluid communication with the cavity and the valve is in fluid communication with the at least one opening, wherein the valve is moveable from a position which blocks fluid communication between the at least one opening and the cavity to another position wherein the at least one opening is placed in fluid communication with the cavity.
44. The mop of claim 43 further comprising a second actuator connected to the valve wherein the valve is moved from the position to the other position when the second actuator is actuated.
45. The mop of claim 38 wherein the cleaning member comprises one of a moist sheet and a dry sheet.
46. The mop of claim 38 wherein the cleaning member is constructed of at least one of natural fibers such as cotton fiber; natural cellulosics; and synthetics such as polyolefins, polyester and polyamids.
47. The mop of claim 38 wherein the cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of a top and bottom surfaces of at least one of the platens.
48. The mop of claim 47 wherein the cleaning member is releasably secured to at least one of the platens with one of pins, hook and loop fasteners and clips.
49. The mop of claim 38 further comprising a cleaning surface associated with the mop head.
50. The mop of claim 49 wherein the cleaning surface comprises one of an abrasive surface and a brush.
51. The mop of claim 38 further comprising a scrubber associated with the mop head and wherein the scrubber comprises a brush.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 31, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2008
Applicant: QUICKIE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION (Cinnaminson, NJ)
Inventors: Peter Vosbikian (Moorestown, NJ), Robert Petner (Burlington, NJ)
Application Number: 11/831,721
International Classification: A47L 13/16 (20060101);