1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sponge mops and more particularly to a sponge mop having an integrated scrubber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional roller mops use a sponge that is wrung dry between a pair of rollers. Such roller mops use a lever that can be pulled or pushed, causing the rollers to roll or press the sponge, wringing the sponge out. Some conventional mops include a brush scrubber that a user can manually attach to the sponge, the mop head, or the mop handle. With such mops, the user must detach the scrubber from the mop when done scrubbing the surface. Additionally, such mops are quite cumbersome and require that the user rotate the entire mop upside down or on its side to use the brush scrubber to scrub a surface.
In one aspect of the present invention, a combination sponge mop and scrubber for cleaning a surface is provided. The sponge mop and scrubber comprises a housing and a pair of rollers mounted on the housing on each side of a sponge. At least one of the pair of rollers supports a scrubber brush. The rollers are configured to squeeze the sponge when the sponge is retracted into the housing. The rollers are automatically rotated via a frictional engagement with the sponge to move the scrubber brush into a deployed position to scrub the cleaning surface as the sponge is retracted. At least one locking member is attached to at least one of the pair of rollers, the locking member configured to engage the housing when the sponge is retracted between the rollers and the scrubber brush is in the deployed position, so as to limit the rotation of the rollers, wherein said scrubber brush is automatically deployed whenever the sponge is squeezed to discharge liquid therefrom.
In another aspect of the present invention, a combination sponge mop and scrubber brush is provided, wherein said scrubber brush is automatically deployed whenever the sponge is squeezed to discharge liquid therefrom. The sponge mop and scrubber comprises a housing and a pair of rollers mounted on the housing on each side of a sponge. Each of the pair of rollers supports a scrubber brush, the rollers configured to both squeeze the sponge when the sponge is retracted into the housing. The rollers automatically rotate to move the scrubber brush into a deployed position as the sponge is moved into a retracted position.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a mop for cleaning a surface is provided. The mop comprises a shaft, a housing disposed at a distal end of the shaft, a sponge movably coupled to the housing, and a pair of rollers movably mounted to the housing, the rollers spaced apart from one another and straddling at least a portion of the sponge. The mop also comprises an actuator configured to move the sponge into a retracted position between the rollers, wherein the rollers squeeze the sponge to wring liquid from the sponge, and at least one scrubbing element disposed on at least one of the rollers. The at least one scrubbing element is configured to automatically move into a deployed position as the sponge is retracted, and configured to automatically move into a retracted position when the sponge is moved into a deployed position.
As used herein, a roller refers generally to a member having a movable surface and is not limited to a particular shape or configuration. A roller can thus include a member with a circular, oval, c-shaped, u-shaped or generally curved cross-section. In one embodiment, the movable surface can rotate about an axis. In another embodiment, the movable surface can pivot about an axis.
With reference to
The rollers 26 are preferably fastened to the distal end of the housing 16. In one preferred embodiment, the rollers 26 are removably fastened to the housing 16 so as to be readily and easily replaceable. For example, a roller shaft (not shown) of the rollers 26 can be removably clamped to a c-shaped clamp (not shown) on the housing 16. However, other suitable fasteners can be used to fasten the rollers 26 to the housing 16, such as bolts and screws.
In the embodiment illustrated in
The elongated shaft 12, housing 16, and rollers 26 are preferably made of a resilient and light-weight material, such as a hard plastic. For example, they can be made of polyethylene. However, the elongated shaft 12, housing 16, and rollers 26 can be made of other suitable materials.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, a sponge retainer 34 having opposite side walls 38 is preferably fastened to a distal end of the operating rod 28. Guide rails 44 extend from a distal end of the side walls 38. The sponge retainer 34 preferably has a length that extends longitudinally along the axis X generally orthogonal to the axis Y. The sponge retainer 34 is preferably configured to removably hold a sponge 40 therein (see
As discussed above, the rollers 26 preferably have a movable surface 26a and at least one scrubbing element disposed thereon. As illustrated in
With continued reference to
Advantageously, a user can selectively operate the cleaning device 10 to deploy the sponge 40 or scrubbing elements, as best suited for cleaning the cleaning surface 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the user can move (e.g., push) the operating member 32 of the actuator 30 to move the sponge 40 forward relative to the rollers 26 into a deployed cleaning position proximal the cleaning surface 100, as shown in
The user can alternatively move (e.g., pull) the operating member 32 of the actuator 30 to move the sponge 40 backward into a retracted position away from the cleaning surface 100, as shown in
If the user wants to deploy the sponge 40 once again, the user can move the operating member 32 once again, as discussed above, to move the sponge 40 forward. The sponge 40 frictionally engages the movable surface 26a of the rollers 26, causing the movable surface 26a to automatically rotate in the direction of deployment, which results in the withdrawal of the brushes 50 and scraper 54 into the first or retracted position, as shown in
In another embodiment (not shown), the operating rod 28 connects to the rollers 26. In this embodiment, the actuator 30 is actuated via the operating member 32 to move the rollers 26 over the sponge 40. The rollers 26 preferably rotate as they move over the sponge 40, for example due to the frictional engagement between the sponge 40 and the rollers 26, to move the brushes 50 from the first or retracted storage position to the second or deployed cleaning position. Additionally, as the rollers 26 rotate over the sponge 40, the rollers 26 advantageously squeeze the sponge 40 so as to wring any liquid out of the sponge 40. When the rollers 26 are in the retracted storage position, the sponge 40 is preferably in the deployed position. Conversely, when the rollers 26 are in the deployed cleaning position, the sponge 40 is preferably in the retracted position between the rollers 26.
In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning device 10′ is a mop. The mop 10′ can include a roller assembly 80, as best shown in
The roller assembly 80 can be fastened to the distal end of the housing 16′ via the connectors 90a, 90b. In one embodiment, the roller assembly 80 is removably fastened to the housing 16′ so as to be readily and easily replaceable with another roller assembly 80. For example, the connectors 90a, 90b of the roller assembly 80 can be removably clamped to the housing 16′ (e.g., via a C-shaped clamp (not shown) on the housing). However, other suitable fasteners can be used to fasten the roller assembly 80 to the housing 16′, such as via a bracket (not shown) removably fastened to the housing 16′ (e.g., with bolts, screws, adhesives, or press-fit connection) and supporting the connectors 90a, 90b therebetween.
Each of the rollers 80a, 80b, 80c of the roller assembly 80 has generally the same shape. Accordingly, the following description is provided for the configuration one roller, but is applicable to the three rollers 80a-80c of the roller assembly. The roller assembly 80 has a first surface 82 with at least on scrubbing element disposed thereon. In the illustrated embodiment, the scrubbing element is a scrubber brush 50′, wherein the brush 50′ has a plurality of bristles 52′. In the illustrated embodiments, a plurality of the scrubber brushes 50′ are disposed along substantially the entire length of each roller 80a-80c. In another embodiment, the brushes 50′ can be disposed along one or two of the rollers 80a-80c (e.g., only on the first and third rollers 80a, 80c).
Each roller 80a-80c can have a second surface 84 and a third surface 86 that extend on opposite sides of the first surface 82 and intersect with each other at a junction 80d. In the illustrated embodiment, the second surface 84 is generally curved and the third surface is generally straight. However, the second and third surfaces 84, 86 can have other configurations. Each roller 80a-80c can also have an arm that extends above the junction 80d between the second and third surfaces 84, 86 and is generally aligned with the third surface 86. By way of example and not limitation, the arm is shown as a ridge 88 n
The roller assembly 80 also preferably includes a stop member 92, as best shown in
As discussed above, the rollers 80a-80c of the roller assembly 80 are preferably rotatably coupled to the housing 16′ and have at least one scrubbing element disposed thereon. As illustrated in
The user can alternatively move (e.g., pull) the operating member 32′ of the actuator 30′ to retract the sponge 40′ into the housing 16′ and away from the cleaning surface 100′, as shown in
If the user wants to deploy the sponge 40′ once again, the user can move the operating member 32′ once again, as discussed above, to move the sponge 40′ forward. As the sponge 40′ moves forward, it frictionally engages the third surface 86 of each of the rollers 80a-80c, causing the rollers 80a-80c to automatically rotate in the direction of deployment of the sponge 40′, which results in the withdrawal of the brushes 50′ into the first or retracted position, as shown in
The various devices, methods and techniques described above provide a number of ways to carry out the invention. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all objectives or advantages described may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment described herein. Also, although the invention has been disclosed in the context of certain embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Accordingly, the invention is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments herein.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/016,667, filed Dec. 17, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference and should be considered a part of this specification.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070169291 A1 | Jul 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11016667 | Dec 2004 | US |
Child | 11621055 | US |