COMBINATION MOP BUCKET AND WRINGER UNIT

Abstract

A combination of a mop bucket and a wringer unit (10) is disclosed in which the bucket (12) has a bottom surface (16), and a peripheral wall (18) which upstands from the bottom surface (16), the wringer unit (14) being supportable on an upper edge (30) of the peripheral wall (18) of the mop bucket (12), and being releasably engagable from the bucket, there being releasable engaging means including a pivotable clip (74) on each of two opposing sides of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit (10) and an engagable element (76) with which a respective pivotable clip (74) can be snap-fit releasably engaged, each pivotable clip (74) being formed independently of the mop bucket (12) and the mechanical press wringer (14) and being pivotably engaged with one of the mop bucket (12) and the mechanical press wringer (14), and the engagable element (76) being provided on the other one of the mop bucket (12) and the mechanical press wringer.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a combination mop bucket and wringer unit in which a wringer unit can be securely engaged with a mop bucket to prevent unintentional separation, but in which the wringer unit can be easily separated from the bucket by a user when required.

It is known to provide a combination mop bucket and wringer unit in which a separate wringer is permanently attached to a mop bucket. For example, in EP-A-0981993 there is disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 6, such a permanent connection achieved by permanently engaged inter-engaging clips. Although the purpose of the permanent attachment was to prevent unintentional removal of the wringer by a user, especially during use, it was found that the wringer could actually slide off the bucket under certain conditions, and this posed a potential hazard to the user.

FIGS. 7 to 9 of EP-A-0981993 suggested the use of pins, removably to connect the bucket and wringer, but such a connection is difficult to manipulate, especially when it is desired to remove the wringer from the bucket.

It has been determined that a user of a combination mop bucket and wringer unit would, on occasion, wish to remove the wringer from the mop bucket, for example for maintenance and/or cleaning purposes.

According to the present invention, there is provided in combination a bucket and a wringer unit, the bucket having a bottom surface and a peripheral wall upstanding from the bottom surface, the peripheral wall having an upper edge which defines an opening of the bucket; and the wringer unit being supportable on the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the bucket and having a wringing basket for receiving absorbent mop material, one or more movable press elements for exerting a squeezing force on mop material when in the wringing basket, a press mechanism for moving the or each press element, and a handle for operating the press mechanism, there being means for releasably engaging the wringer unit with the bucket. The releasable engaging means may include a pivotable clip on each of two opposing sides of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit and an engagable element with which a respective pivotable clip can be snap-fit releasably engaged, each pivotable clip being formed independently of the bucket and the wringer unit and being pivotably engaged with one of the mop bucket and the wringer unit and the engagable element being provided on the other one of the mop bucket and the wringer unit.

The present invention provides for a reliable but yet readily releasable connection between the bucket and the wringer unit.

Desirably, the pivotable clip and corresponding engagable element are provided part way, e.g. mid way, between a front edge and a rear edge of the wringer unit when supported on the bucket.

Each pivotable clip may be pivotably engaged with the mop bucket or the wringer unit via at least two discrete hinges which are spaced from each other in a direction from the front edge to rear edge of the wringer unit.

To facilitate pivoting of the clip to engage and disengage the clip with the engagable element, each pivotable clip may include on outwardly turned clip release element.

In one arrangement, a lateral cross-section of each pivotable clip has an inverted ‘F’ shape or substantially inverted ‘F’ shape although other configurations are possible.

If desired there may be provided inter-engagable formations at the rear of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit, further to connect the bucket and wringer unit, the inter-engaging formations being disengagable only after release of the pivotable clips from their engagable elements.

The mop bucket and wringer unit combination may further include shoulders formed at opposing sides of the peripheral wall of the bucket, and the releasable engaging means may further include two spaced abutting elements, each of which is engagable with a respective shoulder, when the wringer unit is supported on the mop bucket, to prevent sliding removal of the wringer from the mop bucket. Each abutting element may include a cranked channel and the shoulders may be formed in the peripheral wall of the mop bucket, the shoulders being receivable by the channels.

The upper edge of the peripheral wall of the bucket may thus form part of an inverted U-shaped or substantially U-shaped upper lip.

The wringer unit, when supported on the mop bucket, may cover only a portion, e.g. a rear portion, of the opening of the mop bucket, but the wringer unit may cover all or substantially all of the extent of the upper edge of the bucket of the portion of the opening. For example, the wringer unit may include a skirt which, when the wringer is supported on the mop bucket, extends downwardly below the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the covered portion. The skirt may thus extend from or adjacent to a front edge of the wringer unit to or adjacent to a rear edge of the wringer unit, and if desired along a rear edge of the wringer unit.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a combination mop bucket and wringer unit, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part of a combination mop bucket and wringer unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged view of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit shown in FIG. 1, showing a pivotable clip by which the bucket and wringer are releasably engaged;

FIG. 3a is a fragmentary section through a rear part of an upper edge of the bucket;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the pivotable clip on one side of the unit disengaged from the wringer.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the wringer being lifted away from the mop bucket of the unit, following disengagement of both pivotable clips;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a view from one end of the pivotable clip; and

FIG. 8 is a view of the pivotable clip, in the direction labelled A-A in FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawings, a combination of a mop bucket and wringer unit 10 comprises a, typically moulded plastics, mop bucket 12, a mechanical press wringer unit 14, and means for releasably engaging the wringer unit 14 with the bucket 12.

The bucket 12 includes a continuous bottom surface 16 and a continuous peripheral wall 18 which upstands from the bottom surface 16. The peripheral wall 18 defines a front wall 20 having an integrally formed pour spout 22, a rear wall 24 which is opposite the front wall 20, and two side walls 26 which extend between the front wall 20 and the rear wall 24.

Typically, at least the peripheral wall 18 of the mop bucket 12 is of thin-wall configuration, which tends to make it susceptible to bending and buckling when the mechanical press wringer 14 is in use. The phrase “thin-wall” is well known within the field to mean a wall thickness of 3 millimetres (mm) or less, and typically between 1.5 mm and 2 mm.

The peripheral wall 18 defines an upper edge 30 of the mop bucket 12, opposite the bottom surface 16. The upper edge 30 defines an opening 32 of the mop bucket 12. The peripheral wall 18 includes an outwardly extending inverted U-shaped or substantially inverted U-shaped upper lip 34 or rim. The upper edge 30 of the mop bucket 12 forms part of the upper lip 34 of the peripheral wall 18.

Parts of the upper edge 30 indicated at 28, provide shoulders at opposite sides of the bucket 12.

The mop bucket 12 also includes four outrigger legs 36 which project outwardly from or adjacent to the bottom surface 16 of the mop bucket 12. Each outrigger leg 36 is located at a corner of the mop bucket 12. Typically, the outrigger legs 36 are formed integrally as part of the mop bucket 12, but they can be separate elements which are connected after manufacture of the mop bucket 12.

Each outrigger leg 36 includes a pivotable wheel 38 or castor via which the combination mop bucket and wringer unit 10 is in use supported on a surface.

The wringer unit 14 includes a wringing basket 40 which defines a channel having a uniform or substantially uniform lateral cross-section along its longitudinal extent, one or more, in this case two opposite, movable press elements 44 which can move along the channel 42, a geared press mechanism 46 which mechanically and simultaneously operates the press elements 44, and a pivotable handle 48 which activates the press mechanism 46, thus causing the press elements 44 to move along the channel 42.

The wringing basket 40 includes multiple drainage openings 50, and its in use upper edge 52 defines a mop material receiving opening 54.

Absorbent mop material, typically forming part of a mop, can be inserted into the channel 42 of the wringing basket 40 via the opening 54. The movable press elements 44 are elongate places or bars which extend across the channel 42 and which, in use, then urge and squeeze the absorbent mop material into the channel 42 as they move into the channel 42.

The handle 48 is pivotably mounted over the opening 54 of the wringing basket 40, so as substantially to centralize the force imparted by the user and thus reduce undesirable twisting moments being imparted to the unit.

Opposite side walls 56 of the wringing basket 40 project upwardly from the channel 42, and the wringer unit 14 includes side covers 58 which cover the geared press mechanism 46. The side covers 58 extend downwardly to form a skirt 60 which, in use, snugly covers an adjacent portion of the upper lip 34 of the peripheral wall 18 of the mop bucket 12. The skirt 60 extends from or adjacent to a front edge 62 of the wringer unit 14 to or adjacent to a rear edge 64 of the wringer unit 14.

A front upper edge 62a of the wringing basket 40 is provided with a reinforcing element 66 for reinforcing the side walls 26 of the mop bucket 12 against inwards and outwards bowing. The reinforcing element 66 includes an abutting element 68 at each end thereof. Each abutting element 68 forms part of the releasable engaging means and, in use, abuts a respective side wall shoulder 28 of the mop bucket 12 to prevent slidable removal of the wringer 14.

The abutting element 68 includes a cranked and inverted channel 70 for receiving the upper lip 34 of the peripheral wall 18 of the mop bucket 12. The cranked channel 70 is dimensioned to extend across the side wall shoulder 28, in a front-to-rear direction of the mop bucket 12. The abutting elements 68 can thus sit on the upper edge 30 of the mop bucket 12 and engage the respective shoulders 28, thus locking the wringer unit 14 against sliding movement on the mop bucket 12.

Although, in this embodiment, the abutting elements 68 do not include catches for engagement with the mop bucket 12, to thus prevent or limit vertical displacement of the wringer 14 relative to the mop bucket 12, integrally formed catches could be provided. If catches are provided on the abutting elements 68, then the catches can, for example, engage the downwardly depending fee edge 72 of the upper lip 34 of the peripheral wall 18.

The abutting elements 68 can be provided at any position on any kind of wringer 14, providing the mop bucket 12 also includes shoulders 28 or cranked portions with which the abutting elements 68 can engage to prevent sliding movement of the wringer unit 14 relative to the bucket 12. Although the abutting elements 68 are formed as part of a reinforcing element 66, the abutting elements 68 can be provided alone and can be simply intended to prevent sliding movement of the wringer unit 14.

The rear edge 64 of the wringer unit 14, opposite the reinforcing element 66, includes one or more downwardly depending integrally formed rear clips 64a. the or each rear clip 64a provides a formation which is interengaged with a corresponding interengagable formation 64b provided by the upper lip 34 of the upper edge 30. Alternatively, one or more apertures in the upper edge 30 can be provided so that one or more rear clips can extend through the upper lip 34 to engage with a lower surface thereof.

The interengaging formations 64a, 64b can only be engaged and disengaged when the wringer unit 14 can be suitably orientated with respect to the bucket 12, i.e. when the pivoting clips 74 described below, are released.

The skirt 60 of the wringer unit 14 can extend from the sides along the rear edge 64 so as to, in use, snugly cover the adjacent portion of the upper lip 34 of the mop bucket 12.

The means for releasably engaging the wringer unit 14 with the bucket 12 includes two, typically moulded plastics, pivotable clips 74 and two corresponding engagable ledge elements 76.

Each pivotable clip 74 is formed independently of the mop bucket 12 and wringer unit 14. in this embodiment, the mop bucket 12 is provided with three discrete hinges 78. As such, three integrally moulded spaced clip hinge projections 80 on each side wall 26 are provided, adjacent to the upper edge 30 and partway between the front wall 20 and rear wall 24. Each pivotable clip 74 has an inverted F-shape or substantially inverted F-shape lateral cross-section, as best seen in FIG. 7. An in use lower edge 82 is formed with three spaced hinge recesses 84 for receiving the hinge projections 80 on the mop bucket 12. The hinge projections 80 and the hinge recesses 84 can be provided with respective mating stud projections 82a and recesses 82b (see FIG. 7), so that the pivotable clip 74 pivotably engages with the mop bucket 12 following insertion of the hinge projections 80 in the respective hinge recesses 84.

Alternatively, the hinge projections 80 and the lower edge 82 of the pivotable clip 74 can be provided with alignable openings to receive a hinge pin coaxially with the pivot axis of the pivotable clip 74.

It has been found that a single hinge projection and corresponding recess is not sufficiently robust, and separation and breakage of the pivotable clip may occur. Although two spaced hinge projections and corresponding recesses can be utilized, it is preferred that three or more spaced hinge projections and corresponding recesses are utilized.

A wringer engagement arm 86 of the pivotable clip 74 includes a downwardly projecting lip 88.

A back portion 90 of the pivotable clip 74 projects beyond the wringer engagement arm 86 to provide an outwardly turned clip release element 92 which is urgeable in an outwards direction by a user.

The ledge elements 76 are integrally moulded on the opposing side covers 58 of the wringer 14, as part of or adjacent to the skirt 60 and partway, typically midway, between the front and rear edges of the wringer 14. The ledge elements 76 thus project, typically horizontally, outwardly away from the wringer unit 14.

In use, the wringer unit 14 is either placed directly and squarely over the upper edge 30 of the mop bucket 12, with the rear interengaging formations 64a, 64b of the wringer unit 14 snap-fit engaging simultaneously or substantially simultaneously with the abutting elements 68 engaging with the side shoulders 28 of the mop bucket 12, or the wringer unit 14 is tilted in a rear-to-front direction onto the mop bucket 12, so that firstly the rear interengaging formations 64a, 64b of the wringer unit 14 engage and then the abutting elements 68 are brought down to sit across the side shoulders 28 of the mop bucket 12.

Once so positioned, although the wringer unit 14 only covers a portion B of the opening 32, of the mop bucket 12, the wringer unit 14 covers all or substantially all of the upper edge 30 of the mop bucket 12 which defines in part the covered portion B of the opening 32.

The pivotable clips 74 are then hinged towards the wringer 14, and the wringer engagement arm 86 of each pivotable clip 74 engages with the respective ledge element 76 of the wringer unit 14.

The downwardly projecting lip 88 of each pivotable clip 74 rides over the engagement ridge 94 of the respective ledge element 76 to prevent or limit undesirable or accidental disengagement of the pivotable clip 74 from the ledge element 76. The clip release elements 92 may be used to facilitate engaging the lip 88 and ledge elements 76.

The above-described process is reversed to remove the wringer from the mop bucket 12. The clip release element 92 of each pivotable clip 74 is urged in a direction away from the wringer unit 14 to release each pivotable clip 74 from the wringer unit 14, and the wringer unit 14 is lifted off the mop bucket 12.

Although each pivotable clip 74 is described as being provided on the mop bucket 12, the pivotable clips 74 can be provided on the wringer unit 14. in this case, the ledge elements 76 would be formed on the mop bucket 12. consequently, the pivotable clips 74 would hinge downwardly to engage the elements 76, instead of upwardly.

Although integrally formed interengaging formations 64a, 64b have been described as being provided on the rear of the wringer bucket combination, a separate third pivotable clip or other suitable connector element could be utilized to connect the wringer unit 14 and bucket 12 at the rear.

Alternatively, the rear interengaging formations could be dispensed with.

The outrigger legs 36 and/or wheels and castors 38 can be dispensed with if so desired, so that the bucket 12 contacts a supporting surface via the bottom surface 16 of the bucket 12.

The embodiments described above are given by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilized for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. In combination, a mop bucket and a wringer unit the bucket having a bottom surface and a peripheral wall upstanding from the bottom surface, the peripheral wall having an upper edge which defines an opening of the bucket, and the wringer unit being supportable on the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the mop bucket and having a wringing basket for receiving absorbent mop material, one or more movable press elements for exerting a squeezing force on mop material when in the wringing basket, a press mechanism for moving the or each press element, and a handle for operating the press mechanism, and there being means for releasably engaging the wringer unit with the bucket, the releasable engaging means including a pivotable clip on each of two opposing sides of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit and an engagable element with which a respective pivotable clip can be snap-fit releasably engaged, each pivotable clip being formed independently of the mop bucket and the wringer unit and being pivotably engaged with one of the mop bucket and the wringer unit, and the engagable element being provided on the other one of the mop bucket and the wringer unit.

2. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotable clip and corresponding engagable element are provided part way between a front edge and a rear edge of the wringer unit when supported on the bucket.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pivotable clip and corresponding engagable element are provided mid way between a front edge and a rear edge of the wringer unit when supported on the bucket.

4. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pivotable clip is pivotably engaged with the mop bucket or the wringer unit via at least two discrete hinges which are spaced from each other in a direction from a front edge to a rear edge of the wringer unit.

5. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pivotable clip includes an outwardly turned clip release element.

6. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lateral cross-section of each pivotable clip has one of an inverted “F” shape and a substantially inverted “F” shape.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are provided, interengagable formations at the rear of the combination mop bucket and wringer unit, the interengagable formations being disengagable only after release of the pivoted clips from their engagable elements.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mop bucket further includes shoulders formed at opposing sides of the peripheral wall of the bucket, and the releasable engaging means further including two spaced abutting elements, each of which is engagable with respective shoulder, when the wringer unit is supported on the mop bucket.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8, wherein each abutting element includes a cranked channel in and the shoulders are formed in the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the mop bucket, the shoulders being receivable by the channels.

10. A combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the mop bucket forms part of an inverted U-shaped or substantially U-shaped upper lip.

11. A combination mop bucket and wringer unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wringer unit, when supported on the mop bucket, covers only a portion of the opening of the mop bucket, but the wringer unit covers all or substantially all of the extent of the upper edge of the bucket of the covered portion of the opening.

12. A combination according to claim 11 wherein the covered portion is a rear portion of the bucket.

13. A combination mop as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wringer unit includes a skirt which, when the wringer is supported on the mop bucket, extends downwardly below the upper edge of the peripheral wall.

14. A combination as claimed in claim 13, wherein the skirt extends from or adjacent to a front edge of the wringer unit to or adjacent to a rear edge of the wringer unit.

15. A combination mop bucket and wringer unit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the skirt extends along a rear edge of the wringer unit.

16. (canceled)