MOP ASSEMBLIES AND ACCESSORIES
Mop assemblies and accessories for cleaning are provided. A mop head includes an elongated body having a length dimension that is greater than a width dimension, the elongated body having a cleaning side and an opposed backside, and a plurality of fabric ribs defining a plurality of channels therebetween, the plurality of fabric ribs extending from the cleaning side of the elongated body.
This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/691,356, filed Jun. 28, 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure relates generally to mops, and relates more particularly to mops configured to gather both large and small particles.
Mops are commonly characterized as wet mops or dry mops. Understandably, wet mops are primarily used for absorbing and cleaning spilled liquids. Conversely, dry mops are used for gathering dirt, dust, and other types of debris. Traditional dry mops cover a large surface area and capture particles by trapping the debris within the fibers of the mop. To clean the dry mop after picking up the various dirt and debris is to simply shake and/or pat the mop over a trash receptacle. Therefore, the dry mop can be a handy tool for cleaning, and any improvement in the number as well as the size of particles a dry mop can pick up would be useful for improving cleaning efficiency.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, a mop head is provided, including an elongated body having a length dimension that is greater than a width dimension, the elongated body having a cleaning side and an opposed backside, and a plurality of fabric ribs defining a plurality of channels therebetween, the plurality of fabric ribs extending from the cleaning side of the elongated body.
In another aspect, a mop assembly is provided, including an elongated mop handle and a mop head operably coupled to the mop handle.
Referring now to the drawings, which are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, and wherein like elements are numbered alike. The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating examples of the disclosure, in which use of the same reference numerals indicates similar or identical items. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include elements, components, and/or configurations other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some of the elements, components, and/or configurations illustrated in the drawings may not be present in certain embodiments.
The present disclosure provides mop assemblies and mop heads for use in such assemblies, for cleaning and collecting both large and small dust and debris particles, as well as liquids. The particular mop head designs described herein may help to gather larger particles typically missed by flat mops. Additionally, the body of the mop may be configured to easily empty over a trash receptacle and/or to be laundered.
In some embodiments, a mop head includes an elongated body with a length dimension that is greater than a width dimension, and has a cleaning side and an opposed backside. The cleaning side defines a surface that is configured to contact the floor or other surface or substrate, during a cleaning activity. The opposed backside defines a surface opposite the cleaning surface, which may be configured for coupling the mop head within a mop assembly (e.g., to an elongated handle of a mop assembly).
The mop head also includes a plurality of fabric ribs that define a plurality of channels therebetween on the cleaning side of the elongated body. The plurality of fabric ribs may be irregular in shape, as will be described in greater detail below, and the direction of the plurality of channels formed by the ribs may be parallel to either the length of the width direction of the mop. A layer of foam or fabric may be provided between the cleaning side and the opposed backside.
In some embodiments, as shown in
Channels 114 may be formed by the plurality of fabric ribs 112 and parallel to either the length direction of the mop. For example, the channels 114 may be formed by the plurality of fabric ribs 112 and may be parallel to the width direction of the mop. The channels 114 may be formed by the plurality of fabric ribs 112 and may capture larger dirt, dust, or debris particles.
In some embodiments, as shown in
Alternatively, the plurality of fabric ribs 112 may be formed by one or more continuous pieces of fabric. The continuous fabric may be at least partially folded to form at least a single folded rib 126. That is, such continuous fabric ribs may involve at least a “two ply” construction, such that the fabric is affixed to at least two points on the cleaning side 108 to form a rib (e.g., the fold) protruding between the two attachment points. Once folded over to form a rib 126, the fabric may be sewn or otherwise attached in any suitable fashion to the body of the mop head to permanently define the rib 126. For example, the fabric may be sewn along the ribs to define the ribs and/or may be sewn in a direction perpindicular to the ribs to otherwise restrain the fabric. For example, lock and/or overlock stiching patterns may be used. In some instances, the plurality of fabric ribs may be secured by fasteners or other sewing patterns. The fabric ribs may be irregularly shaped.
As previously discussed, the rib 126 as a whole may be configured to capture smaller particles within the surface fibers of the material, and the body of the rib 126 may capture larger particles by an internal volume 130 defined by its size, shape and stitched configuration (e.g., a pocket-like volume formed by the rib), as shown in
In some embodiments, a fabric rib 126 may be sewn onto the elongated body 102 such that it has a height of about three centimeters. As used herein, the term “about” refers to a range of +/−twenty percent of the unit of measurement stated thereafter. As used herein, the term “height” refers to the distance from the surface of the elongated body to the farthest edge of the named element (e.g., rib) from the elongated body. The plurality of fabric ribs 112 may each range in height from about 0.5 centimeter to about ten centimeters. For example, each of the plurality of fabric ribs 112 may each have a height of about 2.4 to about 3.6 centimeters.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
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In some embodiments, as shown in
In some instances, as shown in
Lock stitching 122 may be used for creating discontinuous fabric ribs 112 on the cleaning side 108 of the elongated body 102. Additionally, lock stitching 122 may be used for creating inconsistent heights for the plurality of fabric ribs 112. Further, lock stitching 122 may be used for creating inconsistent widths for the plurality of channels 114. In certain instances, the lock stitching 122 may be continuous from end to end of the elongated body 102.
In other instances, the plurality of channels 114 may be formed by adhesive, fasteners, or another type of stitching.
In certain embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as seen in
In some embodiments, as shown in
In certain embodiments, as shown in
For example, the layer of foam 116 may be made of an absorbent material, such as a polyurethane, polyethylene, sponge, or another material configured to absorb liquids within the mop head. The layer of foam 116 may be configured to absorb liquids through the cleaning side 108 or the opposed backside 110. The layer of foam 116 may be configured to release liquids when squeezed, flattened, or have some other pressure act on the layer of foam 116.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some instances, the attachment head 120 is a solid plastic or metal component configured to secure the mop head 100 thereto for cleaning a surface. In some embodiments, the attachment head 120 attaches to the mop assembly 132 that includes a shaft and, optionally a yoke, for maneuvering the mop assembly during cleaning. For example, the mop assembly 132 may include an elongated mop handle operable for a user to control the path of the attachment head 120. For example, a yoke may be attached to the shaft and/or the mop handle. The yoke may be configured to rotate the attachment head 120 in a plurality of angles and directions. The mop head 100 may be operably coupled to the mop handle via the attachment head 120.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to a number of embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosed embodiments can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not described herein, but which are commensurate with the scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A mop head, comprising:
- an elongated body having a length dimension that is greater than a width dimension, the elongated body comprising a cleaning side and an opposed backside; and
- a plurality of fabric ribs defining a plurality of channels therebetween, the plurality of fabric ribs extending from the cleaning side of the elongated body.
2. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the elongated body further comprises a layer of foam disposed between the cleaning side and the backside.
3. The mop head of claim 2, wherein the foam comprises polyurethane, polyethylene, or sponge material.
4. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the elongated body further comprises a layer of fabric disposed between the cleaning side and the opposed backside.
5. The mop head of claim 4, wherein the layer of fabric comprises polyester, nylon, or cotton.
6. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fabric ribs extend across the cleaning side substantially in the length, width, or diagonal direction.
7. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels extend across the cleaning side substantially in the length, width, or diagonal direction.
8. The mop head of claim 1, further comprising stitching securing the plurality of fabric ribs on the cleaning side to define the plurality of channels.
9. The mop head of claim 8, wherein the stitching comprises a series of lock stitching and a series of overlock stitching.
10. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fabric ribs are defined by a continuous fabric sheet.
11. The mop head of claim 10, wherein the continuous fabric sheet comprises rayon, polyester, nylon, cotton, wool, or microfiber.
12. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fabric ribs have a height of from about 0.5 to about 10 centimeters.
13. The mop head of claim 1, wherein plurality of fabric ribs have a height of from about 2.4 to about 3.6 centimeters.
14. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels have a width of from about 0.2 to about 10 centimeters.
15. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels have a width of about 2.0 to about 3.8 centimeters.
16. The mop head of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fabric ribs comprises an arcuate exterior defining an internal volume.
17. The mop head of claim 1, further comprising a binding material disposed about an edge of the elongated body, the binding material coupling the cleaning side and the opposed backside.
18. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the mop head is configured to be launderable.
19. The mop head of claim 1, further comprising a hang loop coupled to the elongated body.
20. The mop head of claim 1, wherein the mop head is selectively attachable to an attachment mechanism of a mop handle.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 28, 2019
Publication Date: Jan 2, 2020
Inventor: Weidong Wu (Charlotte, NC)
Application Number: 16/456,828