The present invention relates to cleaning tool technology and more particularly, to a positioning structure used in a dehydration bucket for holding a mop, enabling the head of the mop to be stably rotated and dehydrated.
Many dehydration buckets are known for dehydrating a mop. In order to save space, the internal pivoting basket in a dehydration bucket is liftable along a track. However, when the user moves the mop up and down in the dehydration bucket, the pivoting basket can lose its position, affecting performance on dehydration.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a positioning structure consisting of a locating member, a movable mechanism and a positioning mechanism and adapted for use in a dehyration bucket for the dehydration of a mop, which enables the mop to abut against the abutment member of the positioning mechanism and to further force the actuation members of the positioning mechanism apart upon connection of the mop to the movable mechanism, so that the protruding portions of the actuation members can be forced into engagement with the respective retaining holes of the locating member, and thus, the mop is stably supported in position for dehydration through a spinning action.
Further, the locating member comprises a displacement chamber and a plurality of retaining holes disposed in communication with the displacement chamber. The movable mechanism is mounted in the displacement chamber, comprising a sliding member and a position-limiting member. The position-limiting member is connected to the top side of the sliding member. The positioning mechanism comprises an abutment member and two actuation members. The abutment member comprises two abutment portions bilaterally disposed at a top side thereof, two guide portions bilaterally disposed at an opposing bottom side thereof and two guide grooves located on a bottom wall thereof. Further, each actuation member comprises a body, a resilient arm upwardly extended from the body, and a protruding portion perpendicularly extended from an opposing bottom end of the body. The abutment member is mounted in the position-limiting member of the movable mechanism with the abutment portions respectively extended out of the position-limiting member. The body of each actuation member is pivotally connected to the sliding member. The resilient arms of the two actuation members are disposed below the guide portion of the abutment member such that the abutment portion of the abutment member is received inside the position-limiting member and the protruding portions of the actuation members are respectively engaged into the respective retaining holes of the locating member.
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The locating member 1 comprises a displacement chamber 11, a plurality of sliding grooves 12 longitudinaly located on an inner perimeter thereof around the displacement chamber 11 and equiangularly spaced from one another, and two retaining holes 13 transversely cut through the peripheral wall thereof near the elevation of the top ends of the sliding grooves 12.
The movable mechanism 2 is axially slidably mounted in the displacement chamber 11 of the locating member 1, comprising a sliding member 21, a position-limiting member 22 and a collar 23. The position-limiting member 22 is connected to a top side of the sliding member 21. The sliding member 21 comprises an accommodation chamber 211, a plurality of pivot holes 213 transversely disposed in communication with the accommodation chamber 211, a plurality of sliding blocks 212 equiangularly spaced around the periphery thereof at a bottom side and respectively slidably coupled to the sliding grooves 12 of the locating member 1, and a plurality of locating holes 214 equiangularly spacede around the periphery. The position-limiting member 22 comprises a through hole 222 cut through opposing top and bottom ends thereof, and a plurality of hooked portions 221 extended from a bottom side thereof and equiangularly spaced from one another and respectively hooked in the locating holes 214 of the sliding member 21. The collar 23 is pivotally mounted around the position-limiting member 22.
The positioning mechanism 3 comprises an abutment member 31, two actuation members 32, and an elastic connection member 33. The abutment member 31 comprises two abutment portions 311 bilaterally disposed at a top side thereof, two guide portions 312 bilaterally disposed at an opposing bottom side thereof, two guide grooves 313 located on a bottom wall thereof, and a guide slope 314 located in each guide groove 313 and sloping upwardly inwardly toward the central axis thereof. The actuation members 32 are arranged in parallel, each comprising a body 321, a resilient arm 322 upwardly extended from a top end of the body 321, a protruding portion 323 perpendicularly extended from an opposing bottom end of the body 321, and two pivot pins 324 symmetrically located on two opposite sides of the body 321 near the resilient arm 322 and respectively pivotally coupled to respective pivot holes 213 of the movable mechanism 2. The elastic connection member 33 is connected between the bodies 321 of the two actuation members 32 to push the bodies 321 of the two actuation members 32 outwardly away from each other. The abutment member 31 is mounted in the through hole 222 of the position-limiting member 22 of the movable mechanism 2, allowing the abutment portion 311 to protrude over the topmost edge of the position-limiting member 22. The bodies 321 of the actuation members 32 are respectively pivotally mounted in the sliding member 21 to keep the respective resilient arms 322 below the guide portions 312 of the abutment member 31.
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Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5492430 | Jones | Feb 1996 | A |
6817582 | Wang | Nov 2004 | B2 |
6918564 | Yen | Jul 2005 | B2 |
20140061419 | Wehage | Mar 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20180000310 A1 | Jan 2018 | US |