Patent ID: 7584518
Filing Date: 2009-09-08
Classification: A46B,A47L

Abstract:
1. In a butterfly sponge mop having a shaft with a molded housing having a central section with a top surface affixed to the area adjacent the base of the shaft and also having a front surface, a left molded plate section and a right molded plate section each rotatably affixed to the molded housing, the shaft including a slidable handle affixed to a rod which in turn is affixed to a butterfly mechanism which includes a pair of butterfly operating members rotatably supported on the molded housing, a sponge supported on the bottom of the left and right molded plate sections, an attachment mechanism to retain a cleaning implement on the butterfly sponge mop comprising: a. a receiving member attached to the front surface of the molded housing, the receiving member further comprising a first “L” shaped wall having a first sidewall attached to the front surface of the molded housing at one end and terminating in a first transverse wall at its other end, the first sidewall having first and second transverse ends and the first transverse wall having first and second transverse ends, and a second “L” shaped wall having a second sidewall attached to the front surface of the molded housing at one end and terminating in a second transverse wall at its other end, the second sidewall having first and second transverse ends, and the second transverse wall having first and second transverse ends, the first and second “L” shaped walls being spaced apart and parallel to each other and a mirror image of each other so that the first sidewall is parallel to the second sidewall and the first and second transverse walls extend toward each other with an elongated gap separating them and leading to an internal channel formed by the first and second “L” shaped walls; b. an elongated base having a front side to which a cleaning implement is attached, and a rear side comprising a transverse wall having a top, a bottom, a first end, a second end, a first side and second side, a snap wing located along the central area of the transverse wall and terminating in a stop block adjacent one end of the snap wing at the end of the snap wing closest to the second end of the transverse wall, an upper elongated groove in the first side of the transverse wall and running adjacent the top of the transverse wall and extending from the first end through the snap wing and terminating at the stop block, a lower elongated groove in the second side of the transverse wall and running adjacent the bottom of the transverse wall and extending from the first end through the snap wing and terminating at the stop block, the snap wing having an upper lip located adjacent to the top of the transverse wall and a lower lip at a mid height of the transverse wall; and c. the elongated base retained by a press fit within the receiving member with the first transverse wall slidably fitting into the upper elongated groove and the upper lip of the snap wing pressed into the intersection of the first sidewall and first transverse wall and the second transverse wall sliding into the lower elongated groove with the lower lip of the snap wing pressed against the interior of the second sidewall at a location below the second transverse wall, the stop block resting against the second transverse ends of the first and second sidewall and first and second transverse wall of the receiving member so that the cleaning implement extends outwardly from the molded housing so that the base and the cleaning implement remain stationary when the butterfly mechanism is activated to wring water from the sponge and the base and cleaning implement are firmly attached so that they will not come loose during vigorous scrubbing action with the cleaning implement.