Patent Application
20170135546
The invention generally pertains to cleaning devices such as a mop, and more particularly to a cleaning device utilizing a removably-attached, clip-on material, which can consist of any fabric or cloth.
Throughout the world, especially in developed nations, there is a high priority in maintaining cleanliness. This is applied to both personal hygiene as well as living and working in a clean environment. To achieve and maintain cleanliness a large number of products have been developed. Personal hygiene products include soap, body wash, and hair shampoo, while environmental products include liquid and solid chemical products or solutions, and devices that facilitate the use of or application of cleaning products.
One of the most ubiquitous and long-term devices is a mop. For cleaning all types of floors, a mop has long been the preferred device. For much of its life, the design of a mop has remained the same. A handle to which is attached a cleaning head that typically consists of a multiplicity of fabric strips. The head/strips were inserted into a bucket or container having water or a mixture of water and cleaning solution. The head/strips was then placed on a floor and manually moved back and forth to clean the floor. After a while the head/strips were wringed out by applying pressure that would force the dirty water out/off the strips. This process was repeated numerous times, depending on the size of the floor being cleaned.
In recent years mop design has improved and, while the traditional mop design is still utilized, there are now mops that are easier to use and provide a more hygienic cleaning experience. The most common new mop design includes a handle to which is attached a head with a permanently attached or removable material, which is typically in the form of a pad. When a person wishes to use the mop with the removable material he/she will attach a material to the head and use the mop as is commonly preferred. Once finished, the material is removed and discarded. Some modern mop designs even include a built-in reservoir of cleaning fluid which can be dispensed onto the material.
Although these modern designs are an improvement over the original designs, and provide a quick and easy method of mopping, there are problems. For the mops with the permanently attached material, over time the material, which is typically cloth, becomes soiled and/or deteriorates. When this occurs the entire mop must be discarded. For the mops that use a removable material, which is typically a disposable pad or a cloth/fabric that cleans and attracts dust, each time the mop is used many people will attach a new material. This essentially creates a mop with a single-use material. The use of a new material each time the mop is utilized imposes a significant cost to the use of the mop, and creates more waste as each material is discarded. This is important in today's world of environmental consciousness and “green” living.
What is needed is a mop that can provide all of the benefits of a modern hygienic mop with removable material, without the negative aspects. Preferably, the mop would be able to use any fabric as a material, thereby allowing a fabric such as a rag or an old/worn article of clothing to be utilized as a material. A mop with this capability would save a considerable amount of money by not requiring the purchase/use of dedicated materials, and would create a more environmentally friendly cleaning device.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,450 patent discloses a dust mop with a throwaway mop head. The dust mop includes an elongated carrier member to which is swivelly mounted a mop handle. The carrier member includes an upper rigid portion and a lower cushion portion. A disposable mop head is mounted against the lower cushion portion and includes a mop element made from an absorbent material. The mop element is attached to a non-woven fiber cloth backing material that is folded upward and secured by releasable retainer means.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,998 patent discloses a dust mop frame for holding a dusting fabric with a central portion of the fabric extending across the bottom surface of the frame, over opposite edge portions and to the top surface. The frame has toggle assemblies for retaining the edge portions of the fabric on the top surface. The toggle assemblies are arranged in opposed sets of at least one toggle assembly adjacent each edge portion of the frame. The toggle assemblies comprise a toggle member having a pivot axis, an arm portion projecting radially from the axis, a lip portion spaced from an axis projecting from one side of the arm portion and extending parallel to the axis and a curved portion having an arcuate surface disposed around the pivot axis.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,563 patent discloses a clamp for long-handle floor-washing wipers or scrub-brushes. The clamp comprises an elongated head for a wiper blade or brush carried at the end of a broomstick, and is adapted to releasably hold a rag and prevent its slipping-off the head during use. The clamp is comprised of two springy arms extending in alignment in a common plane, and a frame holding the arms by the respective outer ends thereof. When the clamp is mounted, the arms become flexed, thereby displacing the frame into either an engaging or a disengaging position with respect to the wiper head.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,437 patent discloses a dual bonnet clips that are secured to the top surface of the head of dust type mop. Each clip has two arms which, when pushed down at their respective ends, causes the side sections of the clip to pivot up from the top surface of the mop. In this raised position, the side surfaces of the mop's bonnet can be placed under the side sections. When the downward pressure on the ends of the arm is released, the side sections of the clips pivot down and lower onto the bonnet, securing the bonnet to the mop head.
The 2004/0244133 publication discloses a floor mop for use with any washable fabric sheet or cloth. The mop comprises a flat rectangular plate as mop head with a top surface and a bottom surface. The top surface is attached to an elongated handle and the bottom surface being planar and covered with a layer of elastic plate with a rough surface. On the top surface of the plate are at least two spring operated clips. Any fabric sheet suitable for floor washing can be secured in place to the mop head to cover the bottom surface. A user can replace a worn mop sheet with any fabric sheet or a cloth.
For background purposes and indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the patent search.
In its basic design, the cleaning and drying device having removably attached material is comprised of a material plate, a first material retaining clip, a second material retaining clip and a handle. The first and second material clips are hingedly attached to an upper surface of the material plate. When each of the material clips is grasped and pulled upward from an outer edge, each clip pivots upward under pressure from a center point, thereby upwardly extending the respective outer edge of each clip. When the clips are each maintained in the upward position, an edge of a material can be inserted into a space between the material plate and each clip.
To increase the securing of the material, at least two clamping members and at least two channels can be utilized to secure a material between the retaining clips and material plate.
Additionally, edges of the retaining clips can be serrated, preferably with truncated serrations to reduce the likelihood of injury from pointed tip serrations.
When each clip is released and pressure removed, each clip is released downward, forcing the material into the channel between the clamping member and the channel, and trapping the edges of the material between the outer serrated edge of each clip and the upper surface of the material plate.
Once in place, the material is secured at the edges and within the channel in the material plate, and can be used to clean a surface such as a floor, a wall or a tabletop. After cleaning, the material can be removed and a new material can be attached for subsequent use.
One of the major benefits to using the device is that a person is not limited to using specially-designed cleaning pads on the device. By use of the clips, any material such as rags or old clothing can be effectively utilized as a cleaning and/or drying material. This ability significantly reduces the cost of using the device. Conventional mops that use the specialty designed pads require a person to purchase only the pads that will work with a particular mop, and the pads must typically be purchased in bulk, even if a person only requires one or two. The instant device allows a person to simply use any material that is commonly found in most households.
In view of the above disclosure, the primary object of the invention is to provide a cleaning and drying device having removably attached material that can utilize any piece of fabric as a material which is easily attached and removed from the device.
In addition to the primary object, it is also an object of the invention to provide a cleaning and drying device having removably attached material that:
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms that disclose a preferred embodiment for a cleaning and drying device having removably attached material, hereafter “device 10”. Many conventional cleaning devices, such as a mop, require the attachment and use of special cleaning pads. Attachment members are utilized to maintain the pads on the mop/s head. The attachment members can often be complicated which can be costly and prone to damage or breakage. The special pads typically Only work with a particular brand or a model of mop. So, basically once a person purchases a mop, they must continually purchase/replace the pads for the duration of the life of the mop. The pads usually function adequately well, but the cost of continually purchasing new pads can require a significant amount of money, especially over years of use.
The instant device 10 offers a solution to this problem by providing a cleaning and drying 20 device 10, which can be in the form of mop with an elongated handle or a hand-held device, and that can use any fabric as a cleaning or drying material in place of conventional pads. For example, the cleaning or drying material fabric can consist of used/old clothing, towels, cloth or in fact any fabric. This functional capability significantly reduces the cost and increases the ease of using the device 10.
Additionally, conventional tools or devices are typically micro-fiber based, which does not provide much friction during use. The instant device 10 utilizes any fabric or cloth which has much greater friction capabilities, thereby providing significantly better cleaning and/or drying functionality over micro-fiber based tools or devices.
The device 10, as shown in
The material plate 12, which is often referred to as a “mop head”, is shown in
Located on the upper surface 14 of the palte 12 are at least two channels 30 that extend longitudinally along the plate 12,, with one channel 30 adjacent the first edge 18 and a second channel adjacent the third edge 22. Preferably as shown in
Extending outward from the lower surface 44,64 of each material retaining clip 40,60 and positioned in alignment with one channel 03, is a clamping member 38, as also shown in
The first material retaining clip 40, as shown in
The second material retaining clip 60, as shown in
As shown in
The two material retaining clips 40,60 are positioned on the upper surface 14 of the material plate 12. One the tab interfaces is inserted downward between a pair of the upward-extending tabs 26 such that the respective opening 52,72 on the tab interfaces 50,70 and the upward-extending tabs 26 are aligned. The upward-extending hinge 32 is located at the substantial center between two groups of tab interfaces 50,70 and upward-extending tabs 26, and the lower opening 36 on the hinge is also aligned with the openings 52,72 on the tab interfaces and the upward-extending tabs. The first end 82 of the rod 80 is inserted into and sequentially passes through the openings on the two groups of tab interfaces 50,70 and upward-extending tabs 26 and the hinge 32. As the pivot rod 80 is inserted, the first spring 88 is placed in alignment within the first group such that the pivot rod 80 passes through and maintains the spring 88 in position, and the second spring 92 is placed in alignment within the second group such that the pivot rod 80 passes through and maintains the second spring 92 in position. Once the pivot rod 80 is completely inserted, the pressure assembly is functional, facilitating the manual upward-extending, by use of the finger grip 54, of the first material retaining clip 40 under pressure. With the first retaining clip 40 in the upward position, an edge of a material 110 can be inserted along the upper surface of the material plate 12 between the clamping member 38 and channel 30, and front edge 46 of the first retaining clip 40 and the upper surface 14 of the material plate 12. When pressure is removed, the clip 40 is released downward, forcing the material into the channel 30 between the clamping member 38 and the channel 30, and trapping the material 110 between the clip 40 and the plate 12. The same operation is performed with the second material retaining clip 60 on the opposite end of the material 110. When both ends of the material 110 are secured, the device 10 can be utilized to clean a surface, such as a floor, wall or tabletop.
As shown in
As previously disclosed, the device 10 can use different types of material 110, such as a cloth 112 or a pad 114. As shown in
To increase the functionality of the device, other embodiments can be utilized. The elongated rod handle 96 can be replaced with an ergonomic hand grip 120, as shown in
The material plate 12 can be made of a malleable material that allows the shape of the material plate 12 to be formed into a desired topography. The plate 12 can include means for expanding the plate 12 to increase surface area, and/or the plate 12 can include profile attachments that allow customization of surface profiles. And, finally, the device 10 including the material plate 12, clips 40 and 60, and handle 96 or 120 can be made of plastic, metal or wood, with molded plastic preferred.
It should be noted, that the preferred embodiment as disclosed herein is only one anticipated design. Other embodiments can be realized while maintaining the inventive concept. For example, instead of two retaining clips, there can be four, six or other multiple numbers of retaining clips. And, in lieu of spring-actuated clips, the device can utilize living hinge clips, male and female detents clips, or other types.
It is also important to reiterate the importance of the drying capability. By possessing the drying capability, the true dual-use device is provided. The drying capability is not typically available on other conventional similar tools and devices.
While the invention has been described in detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modification may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14867787 | Sep 2015 | US |
| Child | 15418508 | US |
