Patent Application
20210000320
The present invention relates generally to improvements in cleaning and drying products, and more particularly to a flat surface chamois mop device.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Unlike towels, which are designed to absorb water, chamois are designed to act like a squeegee that repels/pushes water off the surface of an item. To this end, there are known types of chamois floor mops that include a plurality of chamois strands that are tied together along one end to form a knot at the base of a pole. These mops are intended for use on horizontal surfaces such as floors, whereby the individual strands can be spread out to engage a large surface area.
Additionally, because chamois repel water they are useful in reducing or eliminating water stains on items being cleaned. For this reason, handheld chamois are the preferred drying tool for many professional boat, automobile and RV detailers, along with window cleaning companies across the globe.
Although such devices work well for easy to reach locations and/or horizontal surfaces, there does not currently exist a chamois-type drying mechanism that is optimized for use with non-horizontal surfaces such as boat transoms, building windows and/or RV sidewalls, for example. Indeed, attempts to utilize chamois mops on these surfaces is extremely difficult owing to the lack of a continuous-smooth main body to receive the pushing force of the pole, and because each of the individual strands bunch up when positioned vertically.
The present invention, directed to a flat surface chamois mop device, differs from the conventional art in a number of aspects. The manner by which will become more apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is directed to a flat surface chamois mop device. One embodiment of the present invention can include an elongated mop body having a flat bottom surface, and a malleable chamois cover. The chamois cover having a pocket section for receiving the mop body, and a flap for securing the mop body within the pocket section.
The chamois cover can be constructed from one or more pieces of water repellant chamois and can also include a plurality of elongated chamois strands extending outward from the cover. One or more connectors can be positioned along the pocket and flap sections to secure the cover in an open or closed position.
A hinge mechanism and a pole receptacle can be positioned along the top surface of the main body. The hinge mechanism functioning to allow the mop body to move omnidirectionally relative to a pole secured onto the pole receptacle.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Although described throughout this document for use in drying non-horizontal surfaces, this is for illustrative purposes only. As such, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting to any particular use or industry.
As described herein, the terms “connector” and “complementary connector” include any number of different elements that work together to repeatedly join two items together in a nonpermanent manner (i.e., removably connected). Several nonlimiting examples include opposing strips of hook and loop material (e.g., Velcro®), attractively oriented magnetic elements, flexible strips of interlocking projections with a slider (i.e., zipper), tethers, buckles, hooks, snaps and buttons, for example. Each illustrated connector and complementary connector can be permanently secured to the illustrated portion of the device via a permanent sealer such as glue, adhesive tape, or stitching, for example.
Various embodiments of a flat surface chamois mop device 10 are provided throughout the drawings to aid in understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. In each of the drawings, identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
As shown, the main body 11 can include an elongated, generally rectangular shaped member having a top surface 11a, a flat bottom surface 11b and a plurality of sides 11c, 11d, 11e and 11f. The main body will preferably be constructed from a lightweight and waterproof material such as plastic, for example, however other materials, shapes and sizes are also contemplated.
In one embodiment, a hinge mechanism 12 can be positioned centrally along the top surface 11a of the main body. In the preferred embodiment, the hinge mechanism 12 can include two rotation axes that are arranged perpendicular to each other, thus allowing the hinge to be omnidirectional so as to tilt the pole receptacle in all directions relative to the top surface 11a; however other embodiments wherein the hinge mechanism includes only a single rotation axis are also contemplated.
In one embodiment, a pole receptacle 13 can be secured along the distal end of the hinge mechanism, and can function as both a handle, and as a means for engaging an elongated pole. In the illustrated embodiment, the pole receptacle can include a shaft 13a and pin 13b assembly. As is known in the art, this arrangement can function whereby the end of the shaft is inserted within the open end of an elongated pole (not illustrated), and is removably locked in place via the pin 13b engaging a corresponding pin opening on the pole. Of course, any number of other components capable of securing the main body onto an elongated pole are also contemplated.
In one embodiment the chamois cover 20 can be constructed from a single piece of natural chamois leather that is formed to include a pocket section and a flap section, each having a shaped and size that are suitable for being removably secured onto the main body 11. In one embodiment, the pocket section can include a bottom end 21a, a generally U-shaped top end 21b, a front end 21c, an open back end 21d and side edges 21e and 21f that define a hollow interior pocket.
In one embodiment, the flap section can also include a generally U-shaped member that extends outward from the opening 21d. The flap section including a top end 22a, a recessed middle portion 22b, and a pair of protruding ends 22c and 22d along either side.
As shown, connectors 23a and 23b can be positioned along the cover 20, and can function to removably secure the cover in the folded position. In the preferred embodiment, connectors 23a and 23b can comprise opposing strips of hook and loop material; however, any number of other connectors are also contemplated.
Although described above as including a complementary shape and size for receiving the main body 11 of the device 10, this is for illustrative purposes only. To this end, the cover 20 can be manufactured to include any number of different shapes and sizes suitable for engaging any type of commercially available mop bases. Such a feature allowing the inventive cover to be used with other devices. Additionally, the chamois body is not limited to a unitary construction or natural chamois leather, as the same may be constructed from any number of different materials such as synthetic chamois or shammies, for example, along with any number of different pieces and/or layers of material that are secured together in any number of different manners.
Although not specifically illustrated, another embodiment of the device 10 can include an absorbent sponge that can be removably positioned within the pocket section of the chamois cover at a location between the bottom end 11b of the main body and the bottom surface 21a of the cover. To this end, the absorbent member can be in direct contact with these elements, or the cover 20 can be constructed so as to include a layer of material within the pocket area so as to form two distinct pockets for receiving the mop body and the absorbent member, respectively.
In either instance, the absorbent member can function to actively pull moisture from the bottom surface of chamois cover itself, thus increasing the longevity of the chamois body. In the preferred embodiment, the absorbent member can include, comprise or consist of a synthetic or natural sponge; however, any number of other moisture absorbing materials such as various microfiber towels, absorbent foam pads and the like are also contemplated.
In one embodiment, any number of apertures can be positioned along the chamois cover, preferably along one or both of the sides 21e and 21f. Such a feature providing an outlet for water that has been absorbed by the absorbent member to be easily released via a squeezing action.
Accordingly, the inventive concepts disclosed herein represent significant improvement to the art by providing a flat surface chamois drying mop that allows the use of a chamois in hard to reach vertical surfaces such as boat transoms, RV sidewalls and household windows, for example.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the terms “consisting” shall be used to describe only those components identified. In each instance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherently consist of each of those identified elements as well.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application is a continuation-in-part to and claims the benefit of copending U.S. application Ser. No. 16/460,532 filed on Jul. 2, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16460532 | Jul 2019 | US |
| Child | 17028760 | US |
