MOP AND MOP HEAD ATTACHMENT

Abstract

A pad mop with a mop handle, a mop head and a mop pad. The mop head or a mop head attachment includes a cleaning material holder for holding cleaning material dispensed around the mop head. The mop head attachment includes a casing open at both ends and configured to fit around the mop head and pad. Alternatively the mop head attachment includes a flat casing with a hole in the middle to slip over a mop handle and/or a U-joint and attach to the top of the mop head. The cleaning material holder can be formed as a recess in a bumper extending from the casing. A roll of cleaning material with perforations dividing the material into individual sheets includes slits for engaging posts or one or more elongate teeth on one or more opposing sides of the casing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of PCT Application No. PCT/US13/72499, filed Nov. 29, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/732,243, filed Nov. 30, 2013, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/789,425, filed, Mar. 15, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/831,086, filed Jun. 4, 2013, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present embodiments described herein relate generally to mops and, more particularly, to a pad mop or mop head attachment configured to hold and dispense a roll of cleaning material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wet mops are used to clean wood, stone and artificial floor surfaces in order leave them cleaner than by just sweeping or vacuuming the floor surface. In its basic form, a wet mop consists of an attachment device at the end of a pole or handle to which an absorbent element such as a rag can be attached and then submerged into a pail with water or cleaning solution. The wet rag is wrung out and then used to apply the water and/or a cleaning solution to the floor surface. The mop is used to clean and dislodge debris from the floor surface. The mop is then re-submerged in the water/cleaning solution to rinse the mop. Once rinsed, the mop is again wrung out and the mop is then used to clean another section of the floor surface being cleaned.

Traditional mops consist of a pole/handle and at the bottom end of the pole/handle absorbent element such as cord-like strands, cloth fiber-like strands, or sponge connected to the pole/handle for cleaning. Some wet mops have a “wringing” device attached to the mops to make wringing out the absorbent element easier and more hygienic/cleaner after rinsing the mop in the water/cleaning solution. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,745,429; 6,625,838; 6,477,731; 5,675,858; 6,108,848; Re37,415; 6,550,094; and 6,892,415).

While the problems associated with “wringing-out” such wet mops have been lessened by the introduction of “wringing-out” devices incorporated into the mops, the other problem, of requiring a constant refreshing of the water/cleaning solution in order not to use dirty water/cleaning solution to clean the floor surface, persists.

Pad-style mops have been introduced to address this issue. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,163,349; 7,144,173; 7,028,364; 6,986,619; 6,986,616; 6,893,180; 7,144,173; 7,028,364; 6,979,371; and the like.) Pad mops generally consist of two primary elements: 1) a pole/handle with a flat square or rectangular “mop pad” at the bottom end and 2) specially designed “absorbent pads” that attach to the “mop pad” and which are needed in order to “mop” the floor surfaces. The rectangular “mop pad” is connected to the pole/handle via a universal joint. This universal joint connection enables the “mop pad” to be turned in various positions in order to get into tight places and under furniture.

“Pad mops” require specially designed “absorbent pads” that attach to the “mop pads” via various securing devices. These absorbent pads act as the “mop” and can be changed as they become soiled while mopping the floor surface. While pad mops eliminate the need for “wringing” devices, one of the main drawback of conventional pad mops tend to be that as one uses a “pad mop” on a floor surface, one must constantly and manually replace the soiled “absorbent mop pads”, thus coming in physical contact with the soiled pads and cleaning solution in order to replace them with a new “absorbent pad”.

Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved pad mop.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments and examples provided herein are generally directed to a pad mop and a mop head attachment device for a pad mop. The pad mop generally comprises a mop handle, a mop head coupled to the handle, and a mop pad coupled to the mop head. The mop head and mop pad are preferably rectangular or quadrilateral in shape. In one embodiment, the mop head includes a cleaning material holder and dispenser for holding and dispensing cleaning material that is wrapped around the mop head and pad. In another embodiment, a mop head attachment attaches itself to the mop head and mop pad. The mop head attachment comprises a casing open at both ends and configured to fit around the mop head and pad. The casing includes a bottom, opposing sides extending up from the bottom, and a cleaning material holder and dispenser coupled to one of the opposing sides. The cleaning material holder holds and dispenses cleaning material that can be wrapped around the mop head and pad.

In another embodiment, a mop head attachment is a flat casing with a hole in the middle of the casing to enable the mop head attachment to slip over a mop handle and/or a U-joint coupled to the mop head and attach to the top of the mop head at mop attachment points formed in the top of the mop head. A cleaning material holder is attached to the top of one side of the attachment casing and a take up mechanism is attached to the top of the attachment casing at a side opposite the holder.

In another embodiment, a cleaning material holder is formed in a recess formed in a bumper extending from the casing.

In another embodiment, a roll of cleaning material with perforations dividing the material into individual sheets with slits on opposing sides of the perforation, which are penetrable by posts formed on the casing to secure the sheet during cleaning and removal of a used sheet of cleaning material.

The systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. It is also intended that the invention is not limited to require the details of the example embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the present specification, illustrate the preferred embodiments and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain and teach the principles of the present embodiments. The details of the present embodiments, both as to their structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment.

FIG. 2 is a top view the mop and mop head attachment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of another embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment.

FIG. 4 is a top view the mop and mop head attachment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment showing the cleaning material partially installed.

FIG. 6a is a perspective view of a roll of cleaning material partially unrolled.

FIGS. 6b and 6c are perspective views of an alternate embodiment of sheets of cleaning material.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment showing the cleaning material installed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective partial exploded view of the mop and mop head attachment assembly shown in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 9A-9D are perspective views showing the process of removing a used sheet of cleaning material.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the mop and mop head attachment assembly shown in FIG. 7 with the used sheet of cleaning material removed.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views of an alternative embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment shown in FIGS. 5 and 8-9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment.

FIG. 13a is a perspective detail view of the embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment shown in FIG. 12 with the mop head being inserted into the casing of the mop head attachment.

FIG. 13b is a perspective view of the mop and mop head attachment with the cleaning material being advance from a roll of cleaning material.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the mop head attachment and the cleaning material shown in an attached configuration.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the mop and mop head attachment with the cleaning material extending from a roll of cleaning material.

FIG. 16 is a partial exploded perspective view of the mop and mop head attachment show in FIG. 15 with the roll of cleaning material shown prior to installation.

FIG. 17 is a partial exploded perspective view of the mop and mop head attachment from a perspective opposite FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective exploded view of the roll of cleaning material and molded end cap.

FIG. 19 is a partial exploded perspective view of the mop and mop head attachment.

FIGS. 20 and 21 are perspective views of an alternative embodiment to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b.

FIGS. 22 and 23 are perspective views of an alternative embodiment to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b.

It should be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the various embodiments described herein. The figures do not necessarily describe every aspect of the teachings disclosed herein and do not limit the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Each of the features and teachings disclosed below can be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide a novel pad mop and mop head attachment device. Representative examples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of these additional features and teachings both separately and in combination, will now be described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detail description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the present teachings.

Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. In addition, it is expressly noted that all features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

The novel pad mop and mop head attachment device have been disclosed and described in U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/732,243, 61/789,425, and 61/831,086, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Turning to the figures, the various embodiments provided herein are generally directed to a pad mop with a mop head attachment device. As shown in FIG. 1, the pad mop comprises a mop handle 1, a mop head 13 coupled to the handle 1 and a mop pad 13′ coupled to the mop head 13. The mop head 13 and mop pad 13′ are generally square or rectangular shaped. In a first embodiment, the mop head attachment 14 attaches itself to the mop head 13 and mop pad 13′ (see also FIG. 2) via four attachment points 15 formed in the top of the mop head 13. The mop has a U-Joint 2 to which the mop handle 1 is attached and which is affixed to the top of mop head 13.

The mop head attachment 14 comprises a casing that is open at both ends and configured to fit around the mop head 13 and mop pad 13′. As depicted, the casing of the attachment 14 includes a bottom, opposing sides extending up from the bottom, and two top attachment lids A and B hinged at hinges 8 to individual ones of the opposing sides to allow the top attachment lids A and B to open outwards so the mop head 13 and mop pad 13′ can be placed within the casing of the mop head attachment 14. The two lids A and B of the top of the casing of the mop head attachment 14 are releasably attachable to the four attachment points 15 formed in the top of the mop head 13 via casing connectors 16. The casing connectors 16 and attachment points 15 are configured to releasably interlock with one another.

On the top of one lid B there is a cleaning material holder that comprises a holder 6 and a holder top 5 that is hingedly connected at a hinge 3 to the holder 6. On the other lid A is a cleaning material take up mechanism comprising a feeder 19 and a gear teeth shaft 9.

A cleaning material roll 4 is positionable within the cleaning material holder 6 and holder top 5. Cleaning material 18 from the cleaning material roll 4 extends out the cleaning material holder 6 and around the bottom of the mop head attachment 14 and up and around and into the feeder 19. The feeder 19 feeds the cleaning material 18 into the gear teeth shaft 9 that is turned by a gear knob 10. As the knob 10 is turned, the gear teeth shaft 9 pulls the cleaning material 18 up and out through a hatch 20 where it can then be cut off by a cleaning material cutter knife 11 which is slid across the length of the cleaning material hatch by a cutter handle 12. The cutter handle 12 is on a lever 17A that is hinged at a hinge 17 to a gear casing 22 allowing for the cleaning material 18 to be fed through and out of the cleaning material hatch 20 before cutting.

The cleaning material roll 4 is mounted on a four or six sided spindle 21 so that a “stop” lever (not shown) can be engaged to stop the cleaning material roll 4 from rolling and feeding the cleaning material 18 out of the cleaning material holder 6, or disengaged to allow the cleaning material roll 4 to roll and dispense the cleaning material 18 as the gear knob 10 of the gear teeth shaft 9 is turned to replace the soiled cleaning material with clean cleaning material 18 coming from the cleaning material holder 6.

The gear teeth shaft 9 will have a gear mechanism that will allow the knob 10 and gear teeth shaft 9 to move only in the direction that will pull the cleaning material 18 up and out the cleaning material hatch 20, but will not go in the opposite direction. This will allow one to move the cleaning material 18 out of the cleaning material holder 6, around the bottom of the mop head attachment 14, up to the cleaning material feeder 19, and then tighten the cleaning material 18 once one engages the “stop” lever of the cleaning material holder 6 on the square or hexagonal cleaning material spindle 21.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the mop head attachment 14′ attaches itself to the mop head 13 using the four attachment points 15 formed in the top of the mop head 13. The mop head attachment 14′ comprises is a flat rectangular casing with a rectangular hole O in the middle of the casing (See FIG. 4) so that it can be slipped on top of the rectangular mop head 13 and connected to the top of the mop head 13 via four casing connectors 16 to the four mop attachment points 15.

On the top of one side B of the casing of the attachment 14′ is a cleaning material holder that comprises a holder 6 and a holder top 5 that is hinged at a hinge 3 to the holder 6. On of another side A of the casing of the attachment 14′ is a cleaning material take up mechanism comprising a feeder 19 and a gear teeth shaft 9.

The cleaning material roll 4 is positionable within the cleaning material holder 6 and cleaning material 18 extends out from the cleaning material holder 6 and over a casing roller BB and down around the bottom of the mop head 13 and mop pad 13′ and back up and around another casing roller AA on the opposite side of the attachment 14′ and into the feeder 19. The feeder 19 feeds the cleaning material 18 into the gear teeth shaft 9 that is turned by a gear knob 10. As the knob 10 is turned, the gear teeth shaft 9 pulls the cleaning material 18 up and out through a cleaning material hatch 20 where it is then cut off by a cleaning material cutter knife 11 which is slid across the length of the cleaning material hatch 20 by a cutter handle 12. The cutter handle 12 is on a lever 17A that is hinged at a hinge 17 to a gear casing 22 allowing for the cleaning material 18 to be fed through and out of the cleaning material hatch 20 before cutting.

The cleaning material roll 4 is mounted on a four or six sided spindle 21 so that a “stop” lever (not shown) can be engaged to stop the cleaning material roll 4 from rolling and feeding the cleaning material 18 out of the cleaning material holder 6, or disengaged to allow the cleaning material roll 4 to roll and dispense the cleaning material 18 as the gear knob 10 of the gear teeth shaft 9 is turned to replace the soiled cleaning material with clean cleaning material 18 coming from the cleaning material holder 6.

The gear teeth shaft 9 will have a gear mechanism that will allow the knob 10 and gear teeth shaft 9 to move only in the direction that will pull the cleaning material 18 up and out the cleaning material hatch 20, but will not go in the opposite direction. This will allow one to move the cleaning material 18 out of the cleaning material holder 6, around the bottom of the mop head 13 mop pad 13′, up to the cleaning material feeder 19, and then tighten the cleaning material once one engages the “stop” lever of the cleaning material holder 6 on the square or hexagonal cleaning material spindle 21.

Turning to FIGS. 5 and 7-10, another embodiment is provided herein that is generally directed to a pad mop with a mop head attachment device. As shown in FIG. 5, the pad mop 200 comprises a mop handle 201 and a mop head 210 coupled to the handle 201. The mop head 210 includes a mop head base 211 and a mop pad 213 coupled to the mop head base 211. The mop head 210 and pad 213 are preferably generally square, rectangular or quadrilateral in shape. A mop head attachment 214 attaches itself to the mop head 210 and mop pad 213. The mop head has a U-joint 202 to which the mop handle 201 is attached and which is affixed to the top of mop head base 211.

The mop head attachment 214 comprises a casing that is open at both ends and configured to fit around the mop head 210 and mop pad 213. As depicted, the casing of the attachment 214 includes a bottom 216 and opposing sides 217 and 219 extending up from the bottom 216 that curve over or wrap around the edge of the mop head 210 and mop pad 213 and point inwardly toward the U-Joint 202.

Attached to the top of one side 219 of the casing is a cleaning material holder 206 that comprises a tubular casing. The cleaning material holder 206 can, as shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b, include a lid 205 hingedly coupled at a hinge 203 to the holder 206.

A cleaning material or cleaning material roll 204 is positionable within the holder 206. Individual paper or cleaning material sheets 218 extend from the cleaning material roll 204 out of the cleaning material holder 206 through a slot 207 and are pulled from the holder 206 until posts 220 projecting upward from the side 219 of the mop head attachment 214 and penetrate through and engage slits 222 in the cleaning material sheets 218. The slits 222 are preferably V-shaped slits configured to engage the posts. The sheet of cleaning material 218 is wrapped down around the holder side 219 of the mop head attachment 214, around the bottom 216 of the mop head attachment 214 and up and around the other side 217 of the mop head attachment 214 and secured into capture details 215 formed in the top of the mop base 211. Alternatively, there are posts extending from the side of the mop head attachment 214 opposite the cleaning material holder 206 that penetrate through V-slits in the other end or leading edge of the sheet of cleaning material 218.

Referring to FIG. 6a, a roll of cleaning material 204 is shown partially unrolled wherein the cleaning material 204 includes a repetitive pattern of perforations 224 that divides the cleaning material 204 into a multiple or plurality of individual sheets of cleaning material 218. The slits 222 are form on each side of the perforation 224 to engage posts 220 extending from the sides 217 and 219 of the mop head attachment 214.

In FIG. 7, a sheet 218 of the cleaning material 204 is shown wrapped around the mop head attachment or dispenser assembly 214. The cleaning material 204 is secured against tearing at the perforation 224 by the posts 220 and slits 222 arrangement. The posts 220 penetrating the slits 222 secure the sheet 218 of cleaning material 204 during cleaning. The loose end of the sheet of cleaning material 218 is secured in the capture details 215 of the mop head base 211 before the mop 200 is used for cleaning. FIG. 8 provides a partial exploded view of the dispenser assembly or mop head attachment 214 that is attachable to the mop head 210 and pad 213, and the roll of cleaning material 214 spaced apart from the mop head attachment 214 and in its wrapped around configuration.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9D, the used sheet 218′ of cleaning material 204 is first extracted from the capture details 215 and unwrapped from the dispenser assembly 214 and lifted off of the posts 220. Next, the cleaning material is pulled from the supply roll 204 until a new sheet of cleaning material 218 is secured at the slits 222 along its leading edge 221 to the posts 220. The old or used sheet of cleaning material 218′ is then tensioned and pulled, resulting in the separation of the used sheet of cleaning material 218′ from an unused sheet 218 of cleaning material 204 at the perforation 224.

After removal of the used sheet of cleaning material 218′, a short length of an unused or new sheet of cleaning material 218 remains exposed as shown in FIG. 10. This short length of cleaning material 204 is easily gripped and pulled at the next time a user desires to clean. To clean, the cleaning material 204 is pulled out until the slits 222 along its trailing edge engage the posts 220 along the side 219 of the mop head attachment 214. The sheet 218 is wrapped around the mop head attachment 214 and secured in the capture details 215 and the slits along the leading edge engage posts on the opposing side 217.

Referring to FIGS. 6b and 6c, alternative embodiments of rolls of cleaning material are shown to include a repetitive pattern of perforations 224 and one or more elongate slits 225 coextensive with the perforations 224 that divides the roll of cleaning material into a multiple or plurality of individual sheets of cleaning material 218. The sheets of cleaning material 218 include a second repetitive pattern of one or more elongate slits 223 formed adjacent the perforations 224 and slits 225 along the leading edge of the sheet of cleaning material 218. Instead of engaging a plurality of posts 220 extending from the sides 217 and 219 of the mop head attachment 214, the elongate slits 223 and 225 engage a tooth or one or more teeth extending up from one or more of the sides 217 and 219 of the mop head attachment 214. Each tooth can be formed as a solid member extending between one or more of the posts 220 shown in FIG. 5.

As shown if FIGS. 6b and 6c, the cleaning material moves in the direction of the arrows as a user of the mop 200 pulls the material to tear off a dirty or used sheet of cleaning material 218′. To tear off the dirty or used sheet of cleaning material 218′, the one or more elongate slits 225 along the perforations 224 catch or engage the one or more elongate teeth. When the sheet of cleaning material 218 gets dirty as the diagonal lines on sheet 218′ indicate, the user lifts the sheet of cleaning material 218′ up from the long tooth or teeth that is holding the sheet of cleaning material 218′ in place via the slit 225 in line with the perforations 224, then pulls the cleaning material to the right or forward on to the next slit 223 adjacent the perforations 224 to hold the material in place while the user tears off the dirty or used sheet of cleaning material 218′ along the perforations 224.

In an alternative embodiment, shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the cleaning material holder 206 is formed in a recess formed in a bumper 212 extending from the side 219 of the mop head 214 attachment. As shown, the cleaning material holder 206 includes opposing roll holder arms 209 extending upward from the bumper 212. Each arm 209 includes a hole to receive a molded plug or end cap 208 inserted into each of the ends of the roll of cleaning material 204. A breaking mechanism in the form of a groove formed in the end cap 208 wherein the groove caps a compressible foam ring or a self-adhesive material.

By forming the material holder 206 with a recess in the bumper 212, the mop head attachment or material dispenser 214 maintains a relative low profile.

In a preferred embodiment, the mop head attachment or material dispenser 214 includes a full perimeter foam over molded protective bumper.

Turning to FIGS. 12-19, another embodiment is provided herein that is generally directed to a pad mop with a mop head attachment device. As shown in FIGS. 12, 13a and 13b, the pad mop 300 comprises a mop handle 301 and a mop head 310 coupled to the handle 301. The mop head 310 includes a mop head base 311 and a mop pad 313 coupled to the mop head base 311. The mop head 310 and pad 313 are preferably generally square, rectangular or quadrilateral in shape. In a first embodiment, a mop head attachment 314 attaches itself to the mop head 310 and mop pad 313. The mop head has a U-joint 302 to which the mop handle 301 is attached and which is affixed to the top of mop head base 311.

The mop head attachment 314 comprises a casing that is open at both ends and configured to couple to the mop head 310 and mop pad 313. As depicted, the casing of the attachment 314 includes a base with opposing retaining tabs 317 and 319 extending up from the bottom that curve over or wrap around the edge of the mop head 310 and mop pad 313 and inwardly toward the U-Joint 302. The base includes a flexible tab 325 that flexes out of the way as the mop head 310 is inserted into the casing under the opposing retaining tabs 317 and 319. Once the mop head is in place, the flexible tab 325 biases back and retains the mop head 310 between opposing stops on the outer edge of the flexible tab 325 and the out edge of the other end of the frame. The frame further includes a frame pad 320 coupled to its underside.

Extending up from the top of one side of the base are opposing supply roll support arms 309 and 307 that rotably support a roll of cleaning material 304 mounted on a supply roll core 305 with a molded end cap 308. The support arm 309 flexes outward to receive the molded end cap 308 and biases inward to hold the roll of cleaning material 304 in place. A cleaning material roll cover 306 comprises a tubular casing with a dispensing slit that receives the roll of cleaning material 304.

A cleaning material take up mechanism 330 is located on the side of the frame opposite the supply roll supports 307 and 309. As shown in FIGS. 13b and 14-17, the take up mechanism 330 includes a drive roller 332 and a clamp roller 336 rotably supported between opposing take up support arms 340. An advancing arm 334 is coupled to the drive roller 332 on one end and releasably couplable to the end cap 308 on the other end. The end cap 308 includes a plurality of pin receptacles 323 about its periphery. As shown in FIG. 17, the advancing arm 334 includes mating pins 324 on the end opposite the drive roller 332 and a knob 337 to grip and rotate the arm 334 and drive roller 332 to advance the cleaning material 318 from the cleaning material roll 304. Once a desired length of cleaning material 318 is advanced, the pins 324 on the advancing arm 334 are inserted into the pin receptacles 323 on the molded cap 308 to fix the cleaning material roll 304 in place. The cleaning material 318 is held in place over the frame pad 320 by the clamp roller 336 pressing against the drive roller 332.

As shown in FIG. 18, the molded end cap 308 is press fit into a rigid core 305 upon which the supply roll of the cleaning material 304 is mounted. The rigid core 305 is preferably a rigid cardboard core.

As shown in FIG. 19, the casing of the mop head attachment 314 can be molded from a plastic such as polyporopylene and include a thin or flexible portion along its longitudinal axis that can act as an integral living hinge 346. With the frame on opposing sides of the hinge 346 being able to flex open or outwardly, an alternative retaining tabs 342 can be used to retain the mop head 310 coupled to the mop head attachment 314. The retaining tabs 342 can include spring clips 344 to snugly retain mop heads 310 with varying dimensions.

In an alternative embodiment to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a cleaning material holder 406 of a mop head attachment 414 attachable to a mop head 410 of a mop 400, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, is also formed in a recess formed in a bumper 412 extending from a side 419 of the mop head 414 attachment. As shown, the cleaning material holder 406 includes opposing roll holder arms 409 extending upward from the bumper 412. Each arm 409 includes a slot 409a extending downward from the top of the holder arms 409 and configured to receive a molded plug or end cap inserted into each of the ends of the roll of cleaning material 404. The cleaning material holder 406 includes a cover 405 hingedly coupled to the material holder 406.

In another alternative embodiment to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a cleaning material holder 506 of a mop head attachment 514 attachable to a mop head 510 of a mop 500, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, is also formed in a recess formed in a bumper 512 extending from a side 519 of the mop head 514 attachment. As shown, the cleaning material holder 506 includes opposing roll holder arms 509 extending laterally from the side opposite the bumper 512. Each arm 509 includes an inwardly extending plug or end cap 508 to insert into each of the ends of and capture the roll of cleaning material 504. At least one of the arms 509 includes a flexible end portion 509a that flexes outwardly to receive the roll of cleaning material 404 and is biased inwardly to capture the roll of cleaning material 404. The cleaning material holder 506 includes a cover 505 hingedly coupled to the material holder 506.

Alternatively, the mop head and mop attachments shown in FIGS. 1-23 can be formed as a unitary structure as a mop head having a base couplable to a mop handle, a pad couplable to the base and a cleaning material holder and dispenser form on the base or in a bumper extending therefrom. The cleaning material holder holds and dispenses cleaning material that is wrapped around the mop head and pad.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

In the description above, for purposes of explanation only, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required to practice the teachings of the present disclosure.

The various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

It is understood that the embodiments described herein are for the purpose of elucidation and should not be considered limiting the subject matter of the disclosure. Various modifications, uses, substitutions, combinations, improvements, methods of productions without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention would be evident to a person skilled in the art. For example, the reader is to understand that the specific ordering and combination of process actions described herein is merely illustrative, unless otherwise stated, and the invention can be performed using different or additional process actions, or a different combination or ordering of process actions. As another example, each feature of one embodiment can be mixed and matched with other features shown in other embodiments. Features and processes known to those of ordinary skill may similarly be incorporated as desired. Additionally and obviously, features may be added or subtracted as desired. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A mop comprising

a mop handle,

a mop head coupled to the handle and having a mop pad coupled thereto, and

a mop head attachment device comprising

a casing coupled to the mop head and mop pad,

a cleaning material holder attached one side of the casing, and

one or more protuberances extending up from one or more sides of the casing to engage slits in the cleaning material.

2. The mop of claim 1 where in the casing includes a body open at both ends and configured to fit around the mop head and mop pad.

3. The mop of claim 2 wherein the body of the casing includes a bottom, opposing sides extending up from the bottom and around the edge of the mop head and mop pad.

4. The mop of claim 3 wherein a cleaning material roll is positionable within the holder and material from the cleaning material roll extends out of the holder and around the bottom and opposing sides of the casing.

5. The mop of claim 4 wherein the cleaning material roll includes a repetitive pattern of perforations that divide the cleaning material roll into a plurality of sheets of cleaning material.

6. The mop of claim 5 wherein the slits in the cleaning material include a repetitive pattern of one or more elongate slits formed along the perforations.

7. The mop of claim 6 wherein the slits in the cleaning material further include a second repetitive pattern of one or more elongate slits positioned adjacent the perforations along the leading edge of each of the plurality of sheets of cleaning material.

8. The mop of claim 1 wherein the slits in the cleaning material include a repetitive pattern of one or more v-shaped slits formed along one or more sides of the perforations.

9. The mop of claim 1 wherein the protuberances include one or more elongate teeth.

10. A mop head attachment device for a mop comprising a mop handle, a mop head coupled to the handle and having a mop pad coupled thereto, the mop head attachment device comprising

a casing couplable to a mop head and pad of a mop,

a cleaning material holder attached to one side of the casing, and

one or more protuberances extending up from one or more sides of the casing to engage slits in a cleaning material positionable in the cleaning material holder.

11. The mop head attachment device of claim 10 wherein the casing includes a body open at both ends and configured to fit around a mop head and pad of a mop.

12. The mop head attachment device of claim 11 wherein the body of the casing includes a bottom, opposing sides extending up from the bottom and around the edge of the mop head and pad.

13. The mop head attachment device of claim 12 wherein a cleaning material roll is positionable within the holder and material from the cleaning material roll extends out of the holder and around the bottom and opposing sides of the casing

14. The mop head attachment device of claim 13 wherein the cleaning material roll includes a repetitive pattern of perforations that divide the cleaning material roll into a plurality of sheets of cleaning material.

15. The mop head attachment device of claim 10 wherein the slits in the cleaning material include a repetitive pattern of one or more elongate slits formed along the perforations.

16. The mop head attachment device of claim 15 wherein the slits in the cleaning material further include a second repetitive pattern of one or more elongate slits positioned adjacent the perforations along the leading edge of each of the plurality of sheets of cleaning material.

17. The mop head attachment device of claim 10 wherein the protuberances include one or more elongate teeth.

18. The mop head attachment device of claim 10 further comprising a cleaning material advancement mechanism attached to the top of the casing at a side opposite the cleaning material holder.

19. The mop head attachment device of claim 10 further comprising a cleaning material take up mechanism attached to the top of the casing at a side opposite the cleaning material holder.

20. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a cleaning material advancement mechanism attached to the top of the casing at a side opposite the cleaning material holder.

21. The mop of claim 1 further comprising a cleaning material take up mechanism attached to the top of the casing at a side opposite the cleaning material holder.