Patent Application
20150082565
The present invention relates to floor mops, and more particularly to floor mops having a sliding or scrub brush that can be selectively used to provide concentrated cleaning force.
Spray Mops are simple cleaning tools that have gained favor by consumers following a recent trend in the popularity of hard floor surfaces (e.g., tile, wood, stone, marble, linoleum etc.) within the housing market. Early hard floor cleaning tools typically comprised a string mop, rag mop, or sponge mop that was used in conjunction with a separate bucket of cleaning solution. Such devices are still in use today, and can be effective, but they are often considered cumbersome to use.
The foregoing mopping devices have been replaced in the marketplace with increasing frequency by flat mops having a flat plate mounted to a long handle, with a removable cleaning pad attached to the plate. Such cleaning pads have included traditional woven fabrics (e.g., string or a knit fabric), sponges, nonwoven fabrics made of polymers, wood pulp, or the like, and the like. Woven and sponge mop pads are generally considered to be reusable, whereas nonwoven pads are often considered to be “disposable” because they are difficult or impossible to effectively clean for multiple reuses.
Flat mops may be used with a separate supply of cleaning fluid (water, detergent or the like), but some are equipped as a “spray mop” having a built-in fluid deposition system including a spray nozzle attached either to the plate or the handle, a vessel filled with liquid cleaning fluid, and mechanism to control the flow of cleaning fluid. Such mechanisms have included, among other things, manually- and electrically-operated pumps, and gravity-operated systems controlled by a valve. The spray frequency and duration are controlled by the user using a hand trigger located on or close to the handle grip. Once the vessel is filled with the cleaning solution of choice and the cleaning pad is installed, the user places the plate on the target surface (typically a floor) and energizes the spray system by squeezing the hand trigger or other mechanism to wet the surface. Once the surface is wetted, the user moves the spray mop pad across the wet surface in forward/aft or left/right directions to wick up the cleaning solution and apply a light downward force to transfer the dirt from the floor to the (now wet) pad.
The plate of a flat mop typically has a large surface (e.g., ˜400 mm wideט100 mm deep). The large surface area provided by the plate and underlying pad provides a large cleaning path, which reduces the time required to clean large areas and provides a significant transfer surface to pick up dirt and liquid. However, the force applied by the user is spread across the total area of the pad (e.g., ˜40,000 mm2 in the above example), which is good for covering large areas, but hinders the cleaning result and efficiency when attempting to clean stubborn dirt because it is not possible to focus a large cleaning force on strongly-adhering dirt. Ethnographic observations reveal that users of flat mops address stubborn dirt in a variety of ways. Some users apply more cleaning solution (which is potentially wasteful), and others simply endure the many passes required with the cleaning pad (which is time consuming). Other users apply a greater amount of force to the stain using their sock-covered foot or a separate abrasive pad. Still others attempt to apply more force by moving one or both hands lower on the handle. In any event, these approaches are not considered to be true solutions to the problem of cleaning stubborn dirt, because they can be inconvenient and inefficient to the user.
Some existing flat mop designs attempt to address the issue of cleaning stubborn dirt by adding a scrub brush to the mop. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,892,415 and 7,225,495 and U.S. Publication No. 2012/0195674 (all of which are incorporated herein by reference) show mops having a scrub brush mounted on the head adjacent the sponge or cleaning pad. However, these devices all require the user to flip the mop head to perform the scrubbing operation, which can be an awkward and inconvenient movement. Furthermore, the device in the aforementioned publication uses a pivoting joint between the handle and the plate, which may increase the difficulty of holding the device with the scrub brush facing towards the floor. Other devices, such as the mops shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,779,501 and 8,166,597, have a scrubbing region built into the center of the base plate, which is activating by increasing the downward force on the mop handle. With these devices, it can be difficult or impossible to tell when the scrubbing region is actually moved into contact with the floor, because there is no separate control to operate it. Also, some of these devices sacrifice a portion of the main cleaning pad to make room for the scrubbing region.
There exists a need to provide alternative solutions to the problems of cleaning stubborn dirt using flat mops, spray mops, and the like.
In one exemplary embodiment, there is provided a mop having a base plate having a generally flat lower surface configured to face a surface to be cleaned, a cleaning pad located on the lower surface of the base plate and positioned to selectively contact the surface to be cleaned, and a handle having a proximal end connected to the base plate, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and a handle axis extending form the proximal end to the distal end. A first grip is connected at the distal end of the handle. An auxiliary scrubber is movably mounted to the handle and configured to move between an inactive position and an active position. The auxiliary scrubber includes a second grip, a scrubbing element that is spaced from the surface to be cleaned when the auxiliary scrubber is in the inactive position, and that contacts the surface to be cleaned when the auxiliary scrubber is in the active position, and an actuator joining the second grip to the scrubbing element.
Other embodiments may include additional or alternative features. For example, the mop may include a fluid deposition system, and the auxiliary scrubber may be slidably mounted to the handle.
It will be appreciated that this Summary is not intended to limit the claimed invention in any way.
A better understanding of the exemplary embodiments may be understood by reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numbers designate like parts. The drawings are exemplary, and not intended to limit the claims in any way.
The inventors have developed new apparatus and methods for cleaning stubborn dirt using a flat mop or spray mop. Non-limiting examples of these apparatus and methods are described below. The following embodiments generally describe the inventions in the context of a spray mop, but it will be readily apparent that these embodiments are also applicable to flat mops that do not have a separate liquid depositing system.
The exemplary spray mop 100 includes a base plate 102 to which a handle 104 is attached. The handle 104 is attached at a proximal (lower) end to the base plate 102, and may include a first grip 106 at a distal (upper) end. The first grip 106 may be connected to the handle as an integrally-molded part, or as separate piece that is attached at the distal end of the handle 104. The handle 104 also may include a second grip 108 at a location between the proximal and distal ends of the handle 104. The grips 106, 108 may be contoured or have gripping material (e.g., overmolded rubber, etc.) to facilitate the user's operation of the mop 100
The handle 104 is connected to a top side of the base plate 102 via a joint 110. The joint 110 may be a rigid connection, but more preferably is a pivot joint. A pivot joint may be a single-axis pivot that allows the base plate 102 and handle 104 to rotate relative to one another about a single axis, or a multiple-axis pivot that allows the base plate 102 and handle 104 to rotate relative to one another about multiple (e.g., two) axes. Such pivot joints are known in the art, and an example of a suitable pivot joint is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,141, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The handle 104 may include a fluid deposition system for distributing cleaning fluid (water, detergent, etc.) onto the surface being cleaned. The fluid deposition system includes a tank 112 to hold the cleaning fluid, a sprayer 114 that is positioned and oriented to distribute the fluid in the desired direction, a pump and/or valve assembly 116 to control the fluid flow, and a trigger 118 that is operated by the user to activate the pump/valve assembly 116. The details of such fluid deposition systems are known in the art, and need not be described herein. Examples of suitable fluid deposition systems include, for example, those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,888,006; 6,659,670; 6,960,042; 6,692,172; 6,722,806; 7,004,658; 7,048,458; 7,160,044; 7,172,099; and 7,850,384, which are incorporated herein by reference. Without excluding other options, the inventors believe that the system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,042 is expected to be particularly useful to provide simple and effective fluid deposition. In this embodiment, the fluid deposition system comprises a pump 116 that is fluidly connected to the tank 112 to receive the cleaning fluid, and a sprayer 114 that is fluidly connected to the pump 116 to receive pressurized fluid and deposit the fluid onto the surface to be cleaned. Fluid connections may be made by hoses or rigid passages formed in the handle housing. The pump 116 may be a simple plunger pump that is operated by a trigger 118 located at the first grip 106 via a linkage that extends down the length of the handle 104. The tank 112 may be removable for refilling or replacement, or fixed and refilled in place. The foregoing features and variations are well-known in the art, and need not be described herein.
It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the foregoing embodiment. For example, the fluid deposition system may be omitted to provide a simple flat mop. As another example, the fluid deposition system may be modified by placing the sprayer 114 or other parts, such as the tank 112, on the base plate 102. As yet another example, a heater 120 may be added in the fluid lines (or to the tank 112) to heat the liquid and/or convert the liquid into steam prior to deposition on the surface being cleaned. As still another example, a vacuum system (i.e., a vacuum suction fan and motor, and associated dirt receptacle), may be added to the mop 100. An example of such a system is shown, in conjunction with an optional steam generator, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,421, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.
The base plate 102 comprises a generally flat lower surface 122 that faces the floor or other surface during use. If desired, the lower surface 122 may have grooves or an arched shape to help distribute forces across the lower surface 122, or other features that may be useful to enhance cleaning (e.g., steam outlets).
The lower surface 122 may include an integral cleaning member, such as permanently-affixed bristles or the like, but more preferably is equipped with a replaceable cleaning pad 124. A replaceable pad 124 may comprise a nonwoven material, a woven fabric, or any other suitable cleaning medium. The pad 124 may be connected to the base plate 102 by hook-and-loop fasteners, adhesives, press-in fittings, wrapping portions of the pad 124 around the base plate 102, and so on. Non-limiting examples of pad materials and mechanisms for attaching the pad to the base plate 102 are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,031,673; 6,003,191; 6,305,046; 6,716,805; 6,692,172; 7,350,257; 7,721,381, and 8,464,391, which are incorporated herein by reference. In one exemplary embodiment, the pad 124 comprises a reusable and washable pad comprising one or more woven fabric layers, and the top of the pad 124 and lower surface 122 of the base plate 102 have complementary hook-and-loop fasteners that releasably join the two together during use. In other embodiments, the pad 124 may be a disposable, nonwoven pad.
An auxiliary scrubber 126 is movably mounted to the handle 104. The auxiliary scrubber 126 comprises a scrubbing element 128 mounted on a movable actuator 130. The scrubbing element 128 may comprise a bristle brush, an abrasive pad, a scrubbing cloth, or any other structure suitable for cleaning dirt from the surface being cleaned. The movable actuator 130 movably connects the scrubbing element 128 to the handle 104, and is configured to move the handle 104 between an inactive first position (shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the auxiliary scrubber 126 may be slidably connected to the handle 104. An example of a sliding arrangement is shown in detail in
The actuator 130 lies generally adjacent and parallel with the handle 104, and overlies the sliding connectors 400. The actuator 130 includes a pair of grooves 504 that wrap around the rails 502 to capture the actuator 130 (and thus the entire auxiliary scrubber 126) in place on the handle 104, but to allow the actuator 130 to slide along the rails 502. Of course, the rails 502 may be located on the actuator 130, and the grooves 504 on the handle 104, or other variations may be used. Travel stops (not shown) may be provided to limit the distance that the actuator 130 can slide along handle 104.
The upper end of the actuator 130 may be connected to the second, lower, grip 108. For example, these parts may be integrally molded, or formed separately and joined using fasteners, snap fitting connections, or the like. In this arrangement, the user can move the auxiliary scrubber 126 between the inactive and active positions, and can use the second grip 108 to directly apply a force to the scrubbing element 128 via the actuator 130. To this end, the actuator 130 preferably is constructed of shapes and materials that provide a rigid connection between the second grip 108 and the scrubbing element 128.
The auxiliary scrubber 126 may include features to bias it towards the active or inactive position. For example, in the shown embodiment, a return spring 402 is provided inside a cavity 404 within the auxiliary scrubber 126 to bias the auxiliary scrubber 126 upwards towards the inactive position. The return spring 402 comprises a coil spring that is captured between an upper sliding connector 400 and an internal shelf 406 inside the auxiliary scrubber 126. Of course, the return spring 402 can be replaced by other kinds of spring, such as cantilevered springs or elastic bands, and the return spring 402 may be relocated elsewhere (e.g., inside the handle 104). Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. For example, the return spring 402 may bias the auxiliary scrubber into the active position, or be omitted.
The auxiliary scrubber 126 also may include one or more locks to hold it in the active and/or inactive position. For example, in the example of
In use, the user applies a force to the second grip 108 to overcome the upward bias of the return spring 402 and move the auxiliary scrubber 126 from the inactive position shown in
In an embodiment with a lock to hold the auxiliary scrubber 126 in the active position, the locking arrangement preferably is robust enough to transmit the application of some or all of the scrubbing force through it, or includes an overload feature to terminate its hold if the force exceeds a predetermined value. An overload mechanism might include, for example, a chamfer on the side of the locking pin 408 or cavity 410, that applies sufficient force to move the locking pin 408 out of the cavity 410 upon the application of a sufficient load. The design of such mechanisms will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.
In other embodiments, different locking mechanisms may be used to hold the auxiliary scrubber 126 in either or both of the inactive and active positions. For example, a lock mechanism like the locking pin et al. described above may be provided in the handle 104 to hold the auxiliary scrubber 126 in the inactive position. As another example, a single locking pin 408 may be used to engage two different cavities 410 on the auxiliary scrubber 126 to hold it in the active and inactive positions.
Other kinds of lock may be used in other embodiments. For example, the locking pin arrangement described above may be replaced by a simple pivoting catch lever mounted on the outside of the second grip 108 to releasably latch onto a hook on the handle 104. As another example, the second grip 108 may rotate about the axis of the handle 104, and include a cam locking arrangement or a lock nut that tightens down on the handle when the second grip 108 is rotated. In other embodiments, the locking mechanism may be a device that is operated simply by pushing or pulling on the second grip 108 or a trigger located thereon, such as commonly used in telescoping vacuum cleaner suction tubes. Examples of other suitable locks are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,154,545; 5,836,620; 6,431,607; 6,494,492; 6,546,596; and 8,422,716, which are all incorporated herein by reference. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.
In other embodiments, different mechanisms may be used to movably mount the auxiliary scrubber 126 to the handle 104. For example, in the embodiment of
As shown in
In the active position (i.e., when the handle is at angle θ relative to the surface 300), it is preferable for the lower face 428 of the scrubbing element 128 to be generally below the pad 124, so that all of the force applied by the user to the handle 104 is transmitted through the scrubbing element 128 to the surface 300. For example, as shown in
In the shown embodiment, the scrubbing element 128 is rigidly fixed to the actuator 130 by adhesives, fasteners, molding in place, integral forming, or the like. In other embodiments, the scrubbing element 128 may be removable from the actuator 130, and it may comprise a mounting arrangement for a replaceable rush, sponge, pad, cloth, or the like, such as described above in relation to the pad 124. Also, the scrubbing element 128 may be movably mounted to the actuator 130, to allow the angle θ to vary as the user tilts the handle 104 through a range of movement. For example, the scrubbing element 128 may comprise a brush that is pivotally mounted to the end of the actuator 130 so that it can rock back and forth as the user moves the mop 100 forwards and backwards. As still another example, the lower face 428 of the scrubbing element 128 may be rounded or otherwise curved, or have multiple flat planes that are angled relative to one another (e.g., a beveled front and/or rear edge). Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.
The scrubbing element 128 preferably has a smaller effective surface area than the pad 124. The “effective surface area” is the area that contacts and applies pressure to the surface being cleaned during active use. For example, the pad 124 may have an effective surface area of about 40,000 mm2 (e.g., it may be mounted on a 400 mm wide by 100 mm long base plate 102), whereas the scrubbing element may comprise a brush that has bristles distributed in a dense pattern across a 100 mm wide by 30 mm long flat bristle mounting plate to provide an effective surface area of 3,000 mm2. In this embodiment, the effective surface area of the scrubbing element 128 is about 7.5% of the effective surface area of the pad 124. In other embodiments, the effective surface area of the scrubbing element 128 may be about 20% or less, or more preferably about 10% or less, of the effective surface area of the pad 124, but other proportional sizes of these two parts may be used in other embodiments.
In some embodiments, the scrubbing element 128 may comprise a more aggressive scrubbing material than the pad 124. For example, the scrubbing element 128 may comprise a brush made of short (e.g., <1″ long) nylon bristles, whereas the pad 124 comprises a soft cotton or cotton-blend woven fabric. In this case, the brush would be better suited to aggressively scrape away stubborn dirt but may lack absorbent capacity, whereas the fabric would be better at thoroughly wiping a large surface area without leaving streaks. This arrangement provides the user with the option of greatly increasing the scrubbing capability of the mop 100 simply by moving the scrubbing element 128 into contact with the surface 300.
In other embodiments, the scrubbing element 128 may have a similar or less aggressive scrubbing material than the pad 124. For example, the scrubbing element 128 and pad 124 may comprise substantially the same material. In this case, the scrubbing element 128 will still be able to provide enhanced scrubbing of stubborn dirt due to the fact that the user can more directly apply force to the relatively small scrubbing element 128. Such force will be distributed over a smaller area than it would if it were applied through the base plate 102, yielding a higher force per unit of area and greater scrubbing force.
A mop 100 such as described in the foregoing embodiments may be used in much the same way as a conventional mop until such time that the user desires to implement the auxiliary scrubber 126 to clean particularly stubborn dirt. For example, the user may manipulate the handle 104 to move the base plate 102 across a floor, periodically operating the trigger 118 to spray water or detergent in front of (or behind, depending on the position of the sprayer 114) the base plate 102. During this operation, the user probably would be most comfortable holding the mop 100 with one hand on the first grip 106, and another hand on the second grip 108, but individual users may have different ergonomic preferences. When the user decides that the normal mopping operation is not sufficient or inefficient at removing a particular patch of dirt, the user unlocks the auxiliary scrubber 126 from the inactive position (if a lock is provided), and simply pushes down with additional force on the second grip 108 to move the auxiliary scrubber 126 to the active position. This additional force can be applied towards the base plate 102, and along the longitudinal axis of the handle 104, which is the natural direction in which users typically attempt to apply added force to clean the floor. With this done, the user can move the scrubbing element 128 back and forth to loosen the dirt. Once the dirt is loose, the user lightens the force on the second grip 108 so that the return spring 402 raises the auxiliary scrubber 126 back into the inactive position, and mops up the dirt using the pad 124.
The foregoing operation is quick, simple and intuitive, and should not interrupt the normal process of mopping the floor. It also provides a distinct advantage over devices that require the user to flip or reposition the base plate to place the scrubbing element into contact with the floor, because it is not necessary to reorient the base plate 102 by rotating the handle 104 when the auxiliary scrubber 126 is used. Instead, the weight is redistributed from the base plate 102 to the auxiliary scrubber 126 automatically, which may result in the base plate 102 lifting completely or partially off the floor without requiring any additional movement by the operator. Furthermore, the foregoing embodiments can eliminate or greatly reduce the need for the user to bend over to manually scrub stubborn dirt off the floor by hand.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used in conjunction with any suitable mop. For example, features as described above may be integrated into existing mop models, either as new designs, or as a retrofit kit. Other embodiments may be combined with features described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (attorney docket no. EHCP-220US; entitled “Flexible Scrubbing Head for a Floor Mop”); and Ser. No. ______ (attorney docket no. EHCP-222US; entitled “Floor Mop With Concentrated Cleaning Feature”), which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure describes a number of new, useful and nonobvious features and/or combinations of features that may be used alone or together. The embodiments described herein are all exemplary, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. It will be appreciated that the inventions described herein can be modified and adapted in various and equivalent ways, and all such modifications and adaptations are intended to be included in the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.
The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (attorney docket no. EHCP-220US; entitled “Flexible Scrubbing Head for a Floor Mop”); and Ser. No. ______ (attorney docket no. EHCP-222US; entitled “Floor Mop With Concentrated Cleaning Feature”), which are incorporated herein by reference.
