Patent Application
20170265704
Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to cleaning devices, and more particularly to cleaning mops having attachable cleaning devices.
Background Art
Conventional mops have a long handle and permanently attached head. The head, frequently manufactured from numerous strands of string cloth, are saturated in a bucket and swabbed across a floor. The bucket may include multiple reservoirs. For example, the bucket may have a clean water reservoir and a dirty water reservoir. After wetting the mop head in the clean water solution and passing the mop across the floor, it must be wrung out into the dirty water reservoir before it can again be wet in the clean water reservoir.
Such mops suffer from a number of issues. Illustrating by example, when the mop is used in a healthcare facility, the head can pick up pathogens and bacteria during the mopping process. No amount of wringing can completely dislodge these organisms from the mop head.
Consequently, the clean water reservoir can become contaminated after only one floor pass of the mop. Moreover, the wringing process requires the use of one's hands, which can be unpleasant, unclean, and, in some cases, unsafe due to the cross-contamination of pathogens and bacteria.
More modern mops employ detachable pads rather than a permanent head. A pre-wetted pad is attached to a mop head during the mopping process. Periodically, the pad is replaced with a new pad. While this type of mop eliminates the contamination of a clean water reservoir associated with permanent-head mops, it still requires a person to remove the used pad with their hands. It would be advantageous to have an improved mop.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
Embodiments of the disclosure are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise: the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.” Relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. As used herein, the terms “about” and “substantially” refer to orientations or alignments or measurements inclusive of manufacturing tolerances. Accordingly, a “substantially orthogonal” angle with a manufacturing tolerance of plus or minus two degrees would refer to an angle of between 88 and 92 degrees, inclusive. Also, reference designators shown herein in parenthesis indicate components shown in a figure other than the one in discussion. For example, talking about a device (10) while discussing figure A would refer to an element, 10, shown in figure other than figure A.
As noted above, many mops use detachable pads rather than a permanent head to avoid cross-contamination of soiled water and cleaning solution. This is especially true in healthcare complexes where the prevention of infection and disease due to cross-contamination is paramount. A pre-wetted, detachable pad is attached to a mop head. A user then mops a portion of the floor with the pad. Once the desired portion of the floor has been mopped, the user is then tasked with disposing the dirtied pad. Users frequently grasp the dirtied pad with their bare hands, remove it from the mop head, and dispose of it in the proper container. As noted above, this process is unpleasant and unclean, and can even be unsafe.
Embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution to this problem by providing a mop that includes a “hands free” head removal system that allows a user to detach a cleaning pad from a mop head without ever touching the pad. In one embodiment, a bottom surface of a housing defining a mop head includes two flappers that, when an associated actuator is actuated, pivot from a closed position, disposed within the housing and substantially parallel with the bottom surface, to an angularly displaced open position extending distally outward from the major surface, thereby detaching the cleaning pad from the mop head. In one embodiment, the flappers open from the middle of the mop head toward the outer edges of the mop head and stop at an angle that is substantially orthogonal with the bottom surface.
In one or more embodiments, the cleaning pad is attached to the bottom surface of the mop head by a fastener. One example of such a fastener is a hook and loop fastener. When the actuator, which is configured as a handle in one embodiment, is pulled distally away from the mop head, one or more flexible connectors or cables that wrap around a side of the flapper comprising a pivot and couple to another side of the flapper cause the flappers to pivot through the use of torque due to their geometry in relation to the flappers. This will be shown in more detail below with reference to
Turning now to
One or more flappers 201,202 are disposed within the mop head 101. As will be shown in more detail below with reference to
In one or more embodiments, the cleaning pad 204 includes one or more fasteners 205,206,207,208 disposed along the upper surface 209 of the cleaning pad 204. In this illustrative embodiment, the bottom surface 203 of the mop head 101 includes one or more complementary fasteners 211,212,213,214 operable to selectively attach to the one or more fasteners 205,206,207,208. Illustrating by example, in one or more embodiments the one or more fasteners 205,206,207,208 comprise one of hook fasteners or loop fasteners, while the one or more complementary fasteners 211,212,213,214 comprise another of hook fasteners or loop fasteners. For instance, in one embodiment the one or more fasteners 205,206,207,208 comprise hook fasteners while the one or more complementary fasteners 211,212,213,214 comprise loop fasteners. In another embodiment, the one or more fasteners 205,206,207,208 comprise loop fasteners while the one or more complementary fasteners 211,212,213,214 comprise hook fasteners. While hook and loop fasteners are one example of fasteners suitable for selectively attaching the cleaning pad 204 to the mop head 101, embodiments of the disclosure are not so limited. Other types of fasteners could be used as well. For instance, in another embodiment, adhesive fasteners could be substituted for the hook and loop fasteners. In another embodiment, magnetic fasteners could be substituted for the hook and loop fasteners. Still other fasteners will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In the illustrative embodiment of
In one or more embodiments, the actuator 104 is operable to translate linearly through the coupler 105 away from the mop head 101 to transition the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 from the closed position to the angularly displaced open position. Said differently, in one embodiment a user can grasp the graspable handle 116 and pull it toward a distal end 108 of the mop handle 102 along a line parallel to a major axis of the mop handle 102 to transition the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 from the closed position to the angularly displaced open position. While linear translation is one method for actuating the actuator 104, embodiments of the disclosure are not so limited. In other embodiments, for example, the actuator 104 can pivot about the coupler 105 from a first position, where the graspable handle 116 is disposed between the coupler 105 and the mop head 101, to a second position, where the graspable handle 116 is disposed between the coupler 105 and the distal end 108 of the mop handle 102, to transition the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 from the closed position to the angularly displaced open position. Other methods for actuating the actuator 104 will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In one or more embodiments, the mop head 101 is coupled to the mop handle 102 by way of a coupler 109. In this illustrative embodiment, the coupler 109 comprises a bi-axial hinge 110. The bi-axial hinge 110 allows the mop head 101 to pivot both about a first axis 111 and a second axis 112 relative to the mop handle 102. Other couplers for connecting the mop head 101 to the mop handle 102 will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In one or more embodiments, the mop head 101 comprises a housing 113. The housing 113 can be manufactured from a thermoplastic material by way of an injection molding process. For example, in one embodiment, the housing 113 is manufactured from polypropylene. In another embodiment, the housing is manufactured from polycarbonate. It will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that other suitable rigid or semi-rigid materials may be substituted for the thermoplastic. Further, other manufacturing processes may be used to fabricate the housing 113, as will be readily obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
As best shown in
In one or more embodiments, the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 are operable to pivot from the center 227 of the mop head 101 toward the right edge 218 and the left edge 219, respectively, when the actuator 104 is actuated. In one embodiment, when the actuator 104 is actuated to pull the first flexible connector 106 and the second flexible connector 107 toward the distal end 108 of the mop handle 102, the first flapper 201 is to pivot 215 one of clockwise or counterclockwise between the closed position and the angularly displaced open position, while the second flapper 202 is to pivot 216 another of clockwise or counterclockwise between the closed position and the angularly displaced open position. As best seen in
As best shown in
Turning now to
In this illustrative embodiment, the upper housing 301 is coupled to the mop handle 102 by the bi-axial hinge 110. The mop handle 102 extends distally away from a side of the upper housing 301 disposed opposite side of the lower housing 302, which defines the major surface to which a cleaning pad (204) attaches. Said differently, the lower housing 302 and the mop handle 102 are disposed on opposite sides of the upper housing 301 in this illustrative embodiment.
In this illustrative embodiment, the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 have each been manufactured as two-piece components. Specifically, the first flapper 201 comprises an upper half flapper 332 and a lower half flapper 303, while the second flapper 202 comprises an upper half flapper 304 and a lower half flapper. Using two-piece construction advantageously allows the half flappers to more easily be pulled from an injection-molding tool. However, in other embodiments the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 could be manufactured as unitary parts.
In this illustrative embodiment, the first flapper 201 has a first side 306 and a second side 307. Similarly, the second flapper 202 has a first side 308 and a second side 309. The first sides 306,308 of the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 each comprise a pair of distally extending bosses defining a pivot 310,311. The second sides 307,309 are distally disposed from the first sides 306,308 of the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the upper housing 301 of the mop head 101 defines a first receiver 312 and a second receiver 313. In this embodiment, the first receiver 312 and the second receiver 313 each comprise an annular wall extending distally from an interior surface 323 of the upper housing 301. When the first flapper 201 is disposed within the mop head 101, in one embodiment it sits within the first receiver 312 such that the pivot 310 nests within one or more peninsular apertures 314 of the first receiver 312. Similarly, when the second flapper 202 is positioned within the second receiver 313, it sits within the second receiver with its pivot 311 nested within one or more peninsular apertures 315 of the second receiver 313. The lower housing 302 can then include complementary pivot receivers 316,317 to retain the pivots 310,311 nested within the first receiver 312 and the second receiver 313, respectively, when the lower housing 302 is attached to the upper housing 301.
In a default configuration, the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 sit within the mop head 101 disposed along the major surface defined by the lower housing 302. As shown in
In this illustrative embodiment, the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 are configured as mirror images of each other, with the second sides 307,309 disposed toward the center of the mop head 101, and the first sides 306,308 disposed toward the left side 219 and right side 218 of the mop head 101, respectively. Said differently, in this illustrative embodiment the second sides 307,309 of the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 are disposed between the first sides 306,308 of the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202. This mirror image configuration allows the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 to pivot in opposite directions when the actuator (104) is actuated as previously described.
In one or more embodiments, the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 each include one or more springs to apply a loading force to bias the first flapper 201 and the second flapper 202 toward the closed position. In this illustrative embodiment, the first flapper 201 includes a first spring 323 and a second spring 324 to apply a loading force to bias the first flapper 201 in the closed position. Each spring is operable at each distally extending boss defining the pivot 310 of the first flapper 201. Similarly, the second flapper 202 includes first spring 325 and a second spring 326 to apply a loading force to bias the second flapper 202 in the closed position. Each spring is operable at each distally extending boss defining the pivot 311 of the second flapper 202.
Turning now back to
Beginning with
Turning to
As shown and described, embodiments of the disclosure provide a mop 100 that includes one or more flappers 201,202 disposed along the bottom surface 203 of the mop head 101. A first flexible connector 106 and a second flexible connector 107 couple the flappers 201,202 to an actuator 104. When the actuator 104 translates 501 away from the mop head 101, the flappers 201,202 pivot 215,216 open and outward, thereby detaching 502 a cleaning pad 204 from the mop head 101 without requiring a user to touch the cleaning pad 204. In some embodiments, the flappers 201,202 open from the middle of the mop head 101 toward the outside, stopping at a substantially orthogonal angle relative to the bottom surface 203 of the mop head 101. Embodiments of the disclosure advantageously allow removal of soiled cleaning pads without the unpleasant, unclean, and sometimes unsafe hand manipulation required by prior art mops.
In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims below. Thus, while preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is clear that the disclosure is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present disclosure. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims.
