Mops are well known devices for cleaning bare floor surfaces, such as tile, linoleum, vinyl, laminate, and hardwood floors. Some mops carry a reservoir for storing water or other cleaning solution that is fluidly connected to a selectively engageable pump or valve. The pump or valve outlet is fluidly connected to a nozzle or manifold mounted in the cleaning head. Liquid is typically applied to the backside of a mop pad or cloth attached to the foot. The damp pad is wiped across the surface to be cleaned to remove dirt, dust, and debris present on the cleaning surface. Some mops are motorized, and include a motor drive assembly for movement or rotation of the mop pad for enhanced agitation or scrubbing of the surface to be cleaned.
An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a floor cleaning apparatus, comprising a handle, a base, and a multi-axis swivel joint. The multi-axis swivel joint coupling the handle with the base for movement of the handle about a first axis of rotation and a second axis of rotation that is orthogonal to the first axis of rotation. The multi-axis swivel joint comprising a first lock-out mechanism and a second lock-out mechanism. The first lock-out mechanism configured to selectively lock out movement of the handle about the second axis of rotation. The second lock-out mechanism configured to selectively lock out movement of the handle about the first axis of rotation.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a floor cleaning apparatus including a handle, a base, and a multi-axis swivel joint coupling the handle with the base for movement of the handle about a first axis of rotation and a second axis of rotation that is orthogonal to the first axis of rotation, the multi-axis swivel joint comprising a lock-out assembly configured to selectively lock out movement of the handle about the first axis of rotation and/or the second axis of rotation.
The present disclosure will now be described with respect to the drawings in which:
The present disclosure relates to a surface cleaning apparatus such as a floor mop, for cleaning surfaces with liquid. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a motorized floor mop that can deliver liquid to a surface to be cleaned and has at least one cleaning pad coupled with a drive motor for movement of the cleaning pad to agitate, scrub, and buff the surface to be cleaned.
As illustrated herein, the mop 10 is an upright mop 10 having a housing that includes an upright assembly 12 that is pivotally connected to a base 14 or cleaning head for directing the base 14 across the surface to be cleaned. The mop 10 can include a fluid delivery system for storing cleaning fluid and delivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned and a motorized agitation system for agitating and scrubbing the fluid on the surface to be cleaned, including floor surfaces such as tile, linoleum, vinyl, laminate, and hardwood floors.
The various components of the fluid delivery system and motorized agitation system can be supported by either or both the base 14 and the upright assembly 12. Other examples of the mop 10 can include a vacuum or recovery system for removing debris and/or cleaning from the surface to be cleaned, which may include a suction nozzle, a suction source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle for generating a working air stream, and a collector for separating and collecting fluid and debris from the working airstream for later disposal. Other examples of the mop 10 can include a steam system for generating and delivering steam to the surface to be cleaned.
For purposes of description related to the figures, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “inner,” “outer,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the present disclosure as oriented in
The upright assembly 12 includes a main support section or frame 20 supporting components of the fluid delivery system. The upright assembly 12 also has an elongated handle 22 extending upwardly from the frame 20 that is provided with a hand grip 24 at one end that can be used for maneuvering the mop 10 over a surface to be cleaned. In other examples of the present disclosure not shown herein, the upright assembly 12 can essentially comprise the handle 22 and hand grip 24, with the various components of the fluid delivery system and motorized agitation system can be supported by the base 14.
With additional reference to
An actuator 36 can be provided to selectively actuate the motorized agitation system and rotate the cleaning pads 30. The actuator 36 can be operably coupled to the drive motor 28 such that pressing the actuator 36 will activate the drive motor 28. The mop 10 can further optionally include one or more non-motorized agitators. As shown, an optional auxiliary scrubber 38 is also provided and can be non-motorized.
The fluid delivery system can include at least one fluid container or supply tank 40 for storing a supply of fluid, at least one fluid distributor 42 for delivering fluid to the surface to be cleaned, and a fluid delivery pathway 44 via which fluid is delivered from the supply tank 40 to the at least one fluid distributor 42. The fluid can comprise one or more of any suitable cleaning fluids, including, but not limited to, water, compositions, concentrated detergent, diluted detergent, etc., and mixtures thereof. For example, the fluid can comprise a mixture of water and concentrated detergent. The supply tank 40 can be removable from the mop 10 for refilling the tank with liquid, or can be refilled when on the mop 10.
The fluid distributor 42 can include at least one distributor outlet 46 for delivering fluid to the surface to be cleaned. The at least one distributor outlet 46 can be positioned to deliver fluid directly to the surface to be cleaned, or indirectly by delivering fluid onto the cleaning pads 30. The at least one distributor outlet 46 can comprise any structure, such as a nozzle or spray tip; multiple outlets 46 and/or fluid distributors 42 can also be provided. As illustrated, the fluid distributor 42 can comprise a spray tip 48 provided on a front side 50 of the base 14 to distribute cleaning fluid directly to the surface to be cleaned. In this location, the outlet 46 of the spray tip 48 is configured to spray fluid outwardly in front of the base 14, preferably forward of the cleaning pads 30, rather than under the base 14 or directly onto the cleaning pads 30, so that a user of the mop 10 can see where fluid is being applied.
The fluid delivery system can further comprise a flow control system for controlling the flow of fluid from the at least one supply tank 40 to at least one fluid distributor 42. In one configuration, the flow control system can comprise a pump 54 in the fluid delivery pathway 44 which pressurizes the fluid delivery system and delivers fluid from the tank 40 to the distributor 42. An actuator 56 can be provided to actuate the flow control system and dispense fluid to the distributor 42. The actuator 56 of the present example can be operably coupled to the pump 54 such that pressing the actuator 56 will activate the pump 54.
An electronic control circuit can be provided for controlling the electronic components of the mop 10. In the illustrated example the drive motor 28 and the pump 54 can be electronically coupled to a power source 60, such as a battery or by a power cord plugged into a household electrical outlet, by the control circuit. An electrical switch can be provided between the pump 54 and the power source that is selectively closed when the delivery actuator 56 is pressed, thereby powering the pump 54 to pressurize the pathway 44 and deliver fluid from the tank 40 to the distributor 42. In one example, the pump 54 can be a solenoid pump. An electrical switch can also be provided between the drive motor 28 and the power source that is selectively closed when the drive actuator 36 is pressed, thereby powering the drive motor 28 to rotate the cleaning pads 30. In the illustrated example, the drive and delivery actuators 36, 56 can be provided as buttons on the front side of the hand grip 24, although other forms and locations are possible.
As shown herein, a power source 60 in the form of a power cord can emerge from the interior of the upright assembly 12 through a cord aperture 66, can be used to provide power to electrical components of the mop 10 from a home power supply, upon actuation of the actuators 36, 56. The power cord can be stored on cord wraps 68 on the handle 22. Alternatively, the mop 10 can be powered by a portable power source, such as a battery.
Optionally, a heater can be provided for heating the cleaning fluid prior to delivering the cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned. In yet another example, the cleaning fluid can be heated using exhaust air from a motor-cooling pathway for the drive motor 28. In yet another configuration of the fluid delivery system, the pump 54 can be eliminated and the flow control system can comprise a gravity-feed system having a valve fluidly coupled with an outlet of the tank 40, whereby when valve is open, fluid will flow under the force of gravity to the distributor 42. The valve can be mechanically actuated or electrically actuated, as described above.
In the illustrated example, the main support section or frame 20 of the upright assembly 12 supports at least the tank 40 and the pump 54. The frame 20 of the upright assembly 12 can include a receiver 72 for removably receiving the tank 40 for support on the upright assembly 12.
The base 14 includes a base housing 74 supporting components of the fluid delivery system and the agitation system, including, but not limited to, the distributor 42, cleaning pads 30, and drive motor 28 in the illustrated example. A multi-axis swivel joint 76 couples the base housing 74 to the upright assembly 12 for movement about at least two orthogonal axes of rotation X, Y. In one example, the swivel joint 76 can be a universal joint. In the example illustrated herein, the fluid delivery pathway 44 includes at least one conduit 82 extending through the swivel joint 76. The conduit 82 can comprise a flexible hose or tubing which will flex as the swivel joint 76 is articulated about its axes of rotation.
The mop 10 shown in
In operation, the mop 10 is prepared for use by coupling the mop 10 to the power source, and by filling the tank 40 with cleaning fluid. Cleaning fluid is selectively delivered to the surface to be cleaned via the fluid delivery system by user-activation of the delivery actuator 56. The drive motor 28 is selectively activated to rotate the cleaning pads 30 by user-activation of the drive actuator 36. The mop 10 is moved back and forth over the surface to clean the surface. It is noted that the fluid delivery and agitation systems can be simultaneously actuated, or actuated one at a time, i.e. individually, as desired by the user, as separate controls are provided via the separate actuators 36, 56. The cleaning pads 30 can be removed from the mop 10 as needed for cleaning or replacement.
The upright connector 84 is coupled with a lower portion of the upright assembly 12, such as with a lower portion of the frame 20, and a pivot portion 90 extends rearwardly from the connector 84.
The swivel joint 76 further includes a first lock-out mechanism 104 that is configured to selectively lock out the side-to-side pivot of the swivel joint 76 about the second axis Y and a second lock-out mechanism that is configured to selectively lock out the front-to-back pivot of the swivel joint 76 about the first axis X. The upright connector 84 has a locking projection 92 which selectively mates with a receiving seat 94 in the base 14 when the upright assembly 12 is brought into an upright storage position (shown in
The base connector 86 includes a receiver 96 having a bore 98 formed therethrough which pivotally receives the pivot portion 90 on the upright connector 84 for rotation about the second axis Y. The base connector 86 further has opposing pivot arms 100 which are rotatably received in the cradle 88 formed in the base 14 for rotation about the first axis X. The pivot portion 90 extends orthogonally to the opposing pivot arms 100.
At least one of the pivot arms 100 can be hollow for routing the conduit 82 (
Referring additionally to
The base connector 86 as illustrated has front and rear housings 106, 108 which mate together around the lock-out mechanism 104 to enclose the lock-out mechanism within the housings 106, 108. The receiver 96 and pivot arms 100 are formed on the front housing 106 in the illustrated example, although one or both may also be provided on the rear housing 108. Other configurations for the upright connector 84 and base connector 86 are also possible.
The lock-out mechanism 104 of the illustrated example is provided in the form of a detent that is configured to temporarily keep the upright assembly 12 in a centered or neutral position relative to the base 14, while still allowing the upright assembly 12 to pivot about the first axis X. The detent can be configured to be released by applying a predetermined amount of force to one of the upright assembly 12 and the base 14. In the illustrated example, the detent includes a spring-biased plunger 112 operatively coupled with the base 14 and a detent notch 114 operatively coupled with the upright assembly 12 and configured to receive the plunger 112. Alternatively, the plunger 112 can be provided on the upright assembly 12 and the notch 114 can be provided on the base 14.
As shown, the plunger 112 is received within and axially moveable relative to a plunger housing 116 fixed within the base connector 86. The plunger 112 is biased relative to the plunger housing 116 by a coil spring 118. The detent notch 114 is provided on a disk 120 fixed with the upright connector 84, such that the detent notch 114 rotates relative to the base 14 and plunger 112 as the upright assembly 12 pivots side-to-side about the second axis Y.
The agitator element 126 is configured to be attached or otherwise supported by the housing 122 and partially spans the back portion of the base housing 74. The agitator element 126 can be configured to float relative to the agitator housing 122 to automatically adjust to different floor surface features. The scrubber 38 can include separable fasteners between the agitator element 126 and the agitator housing 122, such as snaps as shown or hook and loop fasteners, for example, that are configured to detachably secure the agitator element 126 to the agitator housing 122. Thus, the agitator element 126 can be removed from the housing 122 for cleaning, replacement or for exchanging the type of agitator element 126. Alternatively, the agitator element 126 can be permanently affixed to the housing 122.
A mounting assembly pivotally mounts the agitator housing 122 to the base 14. The mounting assembly can comprise a pair of spaced pivot pins 134 which couple each support arm 124 to corresponding bearing openings 136 in the base housing 74. A torsion spring 138 can be mounted around each pivot pin 134 to bias the agitator housing 122 upwardly relative to the base 14 toward the non-use position shown in
The base 14 can further comprise a latching assembly for selecting locking the scrubber 38 in the use position. The latching assembly comprises a latch 142 and a compression spring 144 for biasing the latch 142 toward a latched position. The latch 142 has catches 146 at a lower portion thereof for engaging hooks 148 on the support arms 124, a pivot shaft 150 for pivotally attaching the latch 142 to the base 14, and an actuator in the form of a foot pedal 152 operably coupled with the catches 146. A latch opening 154 is provided in the base housing 74 for receiving the latch 142, and a bottom cover 156 mounts the latch 142 to the base housing 74, with the foot pedal 152 extending through an opening 158 in the bottom cover 156.
The spring 144 can be positioned between the latch 142 and the bottom cover 156, for example, and biases the latch 142 about the pivot shaft 150 toward a position where the catches 146 engage the hooks 148. When the scrubber 38 is down in the use position, the latch foot pedal 152 is above the agitator housing 122 (see
In the use position shown in
The pad holders 160 can include fasteners 166 for removable attachment of the cleaning pads 30, such as hook and loop fasteners as illustrated, or snaps or magnets for example. Thus, the cleaning pads 30 can be removed from the base 14 for cleaning or replacement. In one example, the cleaning pads 30 comprise soft microfiber material which can be removed for cleaning when the pads 30 become soiled. The soiled pads 30 can be laundered and re-used. The cleaning pads 30 may be used for more than one mopping session prior to being laundered. Alternatively, disposable cleaning pads 30 for one-time or limited use can be provided.
Both the cleaning pads 30 and the pad holders 160 can be circular in shape. Mounting circular cleaning pads 30 precisely on circular pad holders 160 presents a challenge because of their position on the underside of the base 14. Incorrect alignment between the pads 30 and pad holders 160 can cause an unbalanced feeling and/or vibration in the hand grip 24 during use. To resolve this issue, a pad alignment jig can be provided. The pad alignment jig is used when preparing the mop 10 for operation in order to simultaneously mount and align the cleaning pads 30 on the pad holders 160. The pad alignment jig is removed prior to use of the mop 10 to clean a floor surface.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
There are several advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the apparatus described herein. For example, the examples of the present disclosure described above provide a mop 10 having rotating cleaning pads 30 with an alignment jig 168, 176, 184 for mounting the cleaning pads 30 precisely and accurately on the mop 10. Mounting the cleaning pads 30 precisely on the pad holders 160 presents a challenge because of the position of the pad holders 160 on the underside of the base 14. Incorrect alignment between the pads 30 and pad holders 160 can cause an unbalanced feeling and/or vibration in the hand grip 24 during use. To resolve this issue, a pad alignment jig 168, 176, 184 can be provided and used to either align the pad 30 with the pad holders 160 or vice versa for correct alignment, which can result in a more comfortable feel during operation of the mop 10.
Another advantage arising from the various features of the apparatus described herein is that an auxiliary scrubber 38 in the form of a flip-down agitator may be provided in addition to the counter-rotating cleaning pads 30. The scrubber 38 can be selectively used to provide an enhanced, localized scrubbing of the surface to be cleaned in conjunction with the agitation provided on by the cleaning pads 30 or alone.
Yet another advantage arising from the various features of the apparatus described herein is that a lock-out mechanism 104 is provided for a multi-axis swivel joint 76 so that one of the axes may be selectively locked out. With respect to the illustrated example having counter-rotating cleaning pads 30, locking out the side-to-side pivot makes it easier for a user to maneuver and control the base 14, as the counter-rotating pads 30 cause the mop to “glide” over the surface during operation.
While various examples illustrated herein show an upright, fluid-dispensing floor mop 10, aspects of the present disclosure may be used on other types of floor cleaners, including, but not limited to, a canister device having a cleaning implement connected to a wheeled base by a hose, a portable cleaner adapted to be hand carried by a user for cleaning relatively small areas, an autonomous robot cleaner, or a mop without a fluid delivery system. Further, aspects of the present disclosure may also be used on surface cleaning apparatus other than a wet mop, such as an extraction cleaner, steam cleaner or a vacuum cleaner. A steam cleaner generates steam by heating water to boiling for delivery to the surface to be cleaned, either directly or via cleaning pad. Some steam cleaners collect liquid in the pad, or may extract liquid using suction force. A vacuum cleaner typically does not deliver or extract liquid, but rather is used for collecting relatively dry debris (which may include dirt, dust, stains, soil, hair, and other debris) from a surface. Still further, aspects of the present disclosure may also be used on non-motorized mops, such as those having one or more stationary cleaning pads.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variation and modification are possible with the scope of the foregoing disclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention which, is defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/812,783, filed on Mar. 9, 2020, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/895,417, filed on Feb. 13, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,602,902, issued on Mar. 31, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/462,055, filed Feb. 22, 2017, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Rhodri Evans, Examiner, Patents Act 1977: Search Report Under Section 17(5), 4 pages, Jul. 26, 2018, South 1 Wales. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210378480 A1 | Dec 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62462055 | Feb 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16812783 | Mar 2020 | US |
Child | 17406756 | US | |
Parent | 15895417 | Feb 2018 | US |
Child | 16812783 | US |