ROLLER FOR A CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

A roller and a cleaning device are provided. The roller may be coupled to a cleaning device for wringing liquid from a hydrophilic member of the cleaning device. The roller may include an opening defined through an outer wall of the roller and liquid wrung from the hydrophilic member may pass through the roller via the opening. The cleaning device may include a handle, a hydrophilic member coupled to the handle, and a wringer coupled to the handle for wringing liquid from the hydrophilic member. The wringer may include a hand grip and a roller coupled to the hand grip. Upon activation, the roller may move relative to the hydrophilic member and may be adapted to force liquid from the hydrophilic member upon compression of the hydrophilic member. The roller may define an opening therethrough and liquid forced from the hydrophilic member may pass through the roller via the opening.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a cleaning device and, more particularly, to a cleaning device such as, for example, a mop including a hydrophilic cleaning member and a pair of rollers adapted to wring liquid from the cleaning member.

BACKGROUND

Mops have had a variety of different configurations over the years. Two popular designs include bucket wringing mops and self-wringing mops. Bucket wringing mops generally require a separate bucket and separate wringing device (otherwise known as a wringer) coupled to the bucket to wring the mop. Such mops are placed into the wringer, the wringer is actuated to wring liquid from the mop, and the mop is removed from the wringer to continue cleaning. Self-wringing mops include a wringing device or wringer integrally formed with or coupled to the mop itself, thereby making a separate wringer unnecessary. Such self-wringing mops are operated by first utilizing the mop to clean, then the wringer coupled to the mop is actuated to wring liquid from the mop. After wringing, the mop may be used again to clean.

SUMMARY

In one example, a roller for a cleaning device for wringing liquid from a hydrophilic member of the cleaning device may include an outer wall defining a cavity and having a first surface and on opposing second surface. At least one opening is defined through the outer wall of the roller from the first surface to the second surface, wherein a liquid wrung from the hydrophilic member passes through the roller via the at least one opening through the cavity an exits the roller.

In another example, a cleaning device may include a handle, a hydrophilic member coupled to the handle, and a wringer coupled to the handle and moveable axially along the handle for wringing liquid from the hydrophilic member. The wringer may include a yoke and a roller coupled to the actuator. The roller may include an outer wall defining a cavity and at least one opening defined through the outer wall and in fluid communication with the cavity. Movement of the yoke towards the hydrophilic member causes the roller to move relative to the hydrophilic member and compress the hydrophilic member and a liquid wrung from the hydrophilic member to pass through the roller via the at least one opening through the cavity an exits the roller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of an exemplary cleaning device;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top front perspective view of a portion of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1, with the illustrated portion of the cleaning device including, among other things, a cleaning head, which is shown in a non-wringing or cleaning position;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a portion of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom front perspective view of a roller of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the roller shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the roller shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the roller taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the roller taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the roller taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a left side view of a portion of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1, with the portion of the cleaning device including, among other things, a cleaning head, which is shown in an intermediate wringing position; and

FIG. 11 is a left side view of a portion of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1, with the portion of the cleaning device including, among other things, a cleaning head, which is shown in a fully wrung position.

Before any independent features and embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, an exemplary cleaning device 20 is illustrated. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, cleaning device 20 is a hand-operable floor cleaning device, such as, for example, a self-wringing mop, including an elongated handle 24, a hand grip 28 coupled to a first end 30 of the handle 24, a cleaning head 32 coupled to a second end 34 (see FIG. 3) of the handle 24, a wringer 40 coupled to the handle 24 for wringing liquid from the cleaning head 32, and a scrubber 36 coupled to the wringer 40. Exemplary handle 24 is only one of many different types and sizes of handles to which cleaning head 32 may be coupled. For example, cleaning head 32 may be coupled to any other type or size of elongated handle for cleaning a floor surface from a standing position. Also, for example, cleaning head 32 may be coupled to “hand held” type handles commonly characterized as having a shorter handle length than a “stand-up” or “mop” type handle 24 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Further, for example, cleaning head 32 may be coupled to any type or size of handle for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces such as floors, walls, or any other surfaces.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, handle 24 may be coupled to cleaning head 32 in a variety of manners. In the exemplary illustrated embodiment, handle 24 may be coupled to cleaning head 32 via a rigid, non-movable connection such as an ACME threaded connection, which comprises an externally threaded portion 44 extending from second end 34 of handle 24 and an internally threaded portion 48 defined in cleaning head 32. Threaded portions 44, 48 are complementarily shaped for threadable engagement to couple handle 24 to cleaning head 32. Alternatively, handle 24 may define an internally threaded portion and cleaning head 32 may include an externally threaded portion for threadable engagement. In other exemplary embodiments, handle 24 may couple to cleaning head 32 via other rigid, non-movable connections such as, for example, other types of threaded connections, fasteners, unitarily forming handle 24 with cleaning head 32, bonding, adhering, etc. In yet other exemplary embodiments, handle 24 may couple to cleaning head 32 via a movable joint such as, for example, a joint allowing a single direction of movement, a universal joint allowing multiple directions of movement, etc.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, cleaning head 32 includes a cleaning member 52 and a bracket 56 secured to a top of cleaning member 52. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, cleaning member 52 is a sponge having hydrophilic properties. Alternatively, cleaning member 52 may be other types of hydrophilic elements and be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, wringer 40 includes a body 60, a hand grip 64 disposed in this example at a top end of body 60, a yoke 68 disposed at a bottom end of body 60, and a pair of rollers 72. Wringer body 60 is hollow, which allows handle 24 to extend therethrough to couple to cleaning head 32 and also allows body 60 to move axially relative to handle 24. A user may grip hand grip 64 of wringer 40 and actuate wringer 40. Yoke 68 includes a first member 76 and a second member 80 spaced apart from each other to provide a cavity 84 therebetween. One of the rollers 72 is connected to each of the first and second members 76, 80 via a roller connector 88, which in this example comprises a semi-circular cutout for receiving a portion of roller 72 and appropriately sized to facilitate retention of roller 72 while allowing rotation of roller 72 therein. A pair of protrusions 92 extend from each of the first and second members 76, 80, one protrusion 92 on each of opposite sides of the first and second members 76, 80, in a direction generally parallel to longitudinal axes 96 of rollers 72. Protrusions 92 are adapted to limit rotation of rollers 72 in at least one direction.

Structurally, rollers 72 are substantially the same as one another and, therefore, only one of the rollers 72 will be described herein. With particular reference to FIGS. 3-9, roller 72 has a longitudinal shape and is rotatable about a longitudinal axis 96 extending longitudinally through roller 72 and substantially aligned with a center of roller connector 88. Roller 72 includes two connectors 100, two exterior members 104, and a middle member 108. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the two connectors 100 are substantially cylindrical in shape and are complementary to the shape of roller connectors 88 defined in yoke 68 in order to facilitate coupling of rollers 72 to yoke 68, while allowing rotation of rollers 72 relative to yoke 68.

Middle member 108 is substantially semi-cylindrical in shape and has a substantially semi-circular periphery in cross-section (see FIG. 8). Alternatively, middle member 108 may have other shapes. Middle member 108 has a generally cylindrical outer wall 118 that defines a cavity 112 and includes an inner surface 116 and an outer surface 120. A pair of ribs 124 extend from inner surface 116 and through cavity 112 to divide cavity 112 into three portions or channels 128, 132, 136. Alternatively, middle member 108 may include other numbers of ribs (including one) to divide the cavity into any number of portions. Also, in the alternative, middle member 108 may include no ribs. A plurality of openings 140 are defined through middle member 108 and extend completely therethrough from outer surface 120 to inner surface 116. Openings 140 may be oriented in three sets of openings, a first set of openings 140A aligned with first portion 128 of cavity 112, a second set of openings 140B aligned with second portion 132 of cavity 112, and a third set of openings 140C aligned with third portion 136 of cavity 112. Alternatively, the plurality of openings 140 may be defined in the middle member 108 in any configuration and in any quantity.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3-9, exterior members 104 are eccentrically shaped and each has an outer wall 174 that defines a cavity 144. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the outer wall 174 has a generally eccentric shape and is a tear-drop shape as best illustrated in FIGS. 6-11. Each outer wall 174 of exterior member 104 includes an inner surface 148, an outer surface 152. Exterior members 104 also have an outer end 156, an inner end 160, and a pair of ribs 164 extending from inner surface 148 and through cavity 144 to divide cavity 144 into three portions or channels 168, 172, 176. Alternatively, exterior members 104 may include other numbers of ribs 164 (including one) to divide cavity 144 into any number of portions. Also, in the alternative, exterior members 104 may include no ribs. A plurality of openings 180 are defined through each exterior member 104 and extend completely therethrough from outer surface 152 to inner surface 148. Openings 180 may be oriented in three sets of openings, a first set of openings 180A aligned with first portion 168 of cavity 144, a second set of openings 180B aligned with second portion 172 of cavity 144, and a third set of openings 180C aligned with third portion 176 of cavity 144. Alternatively, openings 180 may be defined in exterior members 104 in any configuration and in any quantity. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, outer surfaces 152 of both exterior members 104 are substantially the same eccentric shape and both of the outer surfaces 152 continually curve, with no straight portions (see particularly FIGS. 6, 7, and 9), to form a point 184. Such a shape of outer surfaces 152 may be considered a tear-drop shape. Alternatively, outer surfaces 152 of exterior members 104 may have a different shape to that illustrated. Also, in the alternative, outer surfaces 152 of exterior members 104 may have a different shape relative to each other. Further, in the alternative, middle member 108 may have the same eccentric shape as exterior members 104. Each exterior member 104 also includes a ledge 188 extending from inner end 160 thereof. Each ledge 188 includes a substantially flat surface engageable with a respective one of protrusions 92 extending from yoke 68 to limit rotation of rollers 72.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 10, and 11, operation of exemplary cleaning device 20 will be described. With particular reference to FIG. 2, cleaning device 20 is shown in a cleaning position or non-wringing position. In this position, cleaning device 20 may be used to clean a surface as desired. The shape and material of cleaning member 52 is intended to apply a continuous upward force on rollers 72, which biases rollers 72 toward their cleaning or non-wrung position. Rollers 72 are maintained in this cleaning position by protrusions 92 engaging ledges 188 of rollers 72.

During operation, it may be desirable to wring liquid from cleaning member 52. To wring liquid from cleaning member 52, a user grips hand grip 64 of wringer 40 and pushes wringer 40 downward toward cleaning head 32 while the user either maintains handle 24 in position or pulls handle 24 in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of wringer 40. With particular reference to FIG. 10, wringer 40 is shown in an intermediate wringing position, which illustrates that rollers 72 begin to roll along an outer surface of cleaning member 52 while cleaning member 52 is compressed between rollers 72 and moves into cavity 84. The space between rollers 72 is intentionally narrower than the width of cleaning member 52 in order to adequately compress cleaning member 52 to wring a desired amount of liquid from cleaning member 52.

With additional reference to FIGS. 7-9, the plurality of openings 140, 180 defined in the middle member 108 and exterior members 104 allow liquid wrung from cleaning member 52 to enter into openings 140, 180, pass through rollers 72 via the portions or channels 128, 132, 136, 168, 172, 176, and exit out of rollers 72 on opposite sides of middle member 108 and exterior members 104 from openings 140, 180.

Referring now to FIG. 11, wringer 40 is shown in a fully wrung position. In this position, the top of cleaning member 52 (or bracket 56) engages a top surface 192 of cavity 84 to prevent further downward movement of wringer 40 and also prevent further rolling of rollers 72 down cleaning member 52. A majority of cleaning member 52 has been compressed between rollers 72 resulting in a majority of the liquid being wrung from cleaning member 52. Tip 184 of rollers 72 does not quite reach the end of cleaning member 52 to prevent cleaning member 52 from slipping or becoming stuck between rollers 72 in the fully wrung position. In addition, because of the eccentric shape of exterior members 104, point 184 of rollers 72 has passed axis 96 and will be held in this position until sufficient force is applied to disengage rollers 72 and rotate them back to the cleaning position. After cleaning member 52 has been wrung, wringer 40 can be returned to its cleaning position to allow further use of cleaning device 20. To return wringer 40 to the cleaning position, a user may grip hand grip 64 and pull wringer 40 upward until ledges 188 of rollers 72 engage protrusions 92. Wringing of cleaning member 52 may be repeated as desired by repeating these steps.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions were selected to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although particular constructions of the present invention have been shown and described, other alternative constructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the intended scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A roller for a cleaning device for wringing liquid from a hydrophilic member of the cleaning device, the roller comprising:

an outer wall defining a cavity and having a first surface and an opposing second surface; and

at least one opening defined through the outer wall from the first surface to the second surface, wherein a liquid wrung from the hydrophilic member passes through the at least one opening, through the cavity, and exits the roller.

2. The roller of claim 1, further comprising a longitudinal axis, wherein at least a portion of the roller has an eccentric shape taken along a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.

3. The roller of claim 2, wherein the eccentric shape is a tear-drop shape.

4. The roller of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the roller has a cylindrical shape.

5. The roller of claim 1, wherein the first surface is an outer surface of the roller, the second surface is an inner surface of the roller.

6. The roller of claim 1, further comprising a rib extending from at least one of the first and second surfaces and into the cavity.

7. The roller of claim 6, wherein the rib at least partially defines the opening.

8. The roller of claim 6, wherein the rib is a first rib, the roller further comprising a second rib extending from at least one of the first and second surfaces and into the cavity.

9. The roller of claim 1, wherein the opening is one of a plurality of openings, and wherein a liquid wrung from the hydrophilic member passes through the plurality of openings, through the cavity, and exits the roller.

10. A cleaning device comprising:

a handle;

a hydrophilic member coupled to the handle; and

a wringer coupled to the handle and moveable axially along the handle for wringing liquid from the hydrophilic member, the wringer including; a hand grip; and a roller coupled to the hand grip, the roller having an outer wall defining a cavity and at least one opening defined through the outer wall and in fluid communication with the cavity; wherein movement of the hand grip towards the hydrophilic member moves the roller relative to the hydrophilic member to compress the hydrophilic member, such that a liquid is wrung from the hydrophilic member and passes through the at least one opening, through the cavity, and exits the roller.

11. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the roller includes a longitudinal axis, a first member and a second member spaced from the first member, wherein the first member has an eccentric shape taken along a first plane transverse to the longitudinal axis and the second member has a semi-circular shape taken along a second plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.

12. The cleaning device of claim 11, wherein the eccentric shape is a tear-drop shape.

13. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the roller includes a longitudinal axis, a first member and a second member spaced from the first member, wherein the first member has a first eccentric shape taken along a first plane transverse to the longitudinal axis and the second member has a second eccentric shape taken along a second plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.

14. The cleaning device of claim 13, wherein the first and second eccentric shapes are substantially identical.

15. The cleaning device of claim 14, wherein the first and second eccentric shapes are tear-drop shapes.

16. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the roller includes a longitudinal axis, a first member, a second member, and a third member, wherein the second member is oriented between the first and third members, and wherein the first member has a first eccentric shape taken along a first plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, the second member has a semi-circular shape taken along a second plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the third member has a second eccentric shape taken along a third plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.

17. The cleaning device of claim 16, wherein the first and second eccentric shapes are substantially identical.

18. The cleaning device of claim 17, wherein the first and second eccentric shapes are tear-drop shapes.

19. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the opening is one of a plurality of openings defined through the outer wall of the roller and liquid forced from the hydrophilic member passes through the roller via the plurality of openings.

20. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the roller is a first roller and the cleaning device further comprises a second roller coupled to the hand grip, the second roller having a second outer wall defining a second cavity and at least one opening defined through the second outer wall and in fluid communication with the cavity, wherein movement of the hand grip towards the hydrophilic member moves the second roller relative to the hydrophilic member to compress the hydrophilic member between the first roller and the second roller, such that a liquid is wrung from the hydrophilic member and passes through the at least one opening in the second roller, through the second cavity, and exits the roller.