Abstract:
A trigger actuated aerosol spray cleaning device is disclosed that has a removable snap-on cleaning head. The cleaning head can be snapped onto a handle by simple linear movement, and then can be removed by sliding a button. In one form, there is a lower connector on a mop handle that has two pivot pins biased apart by a spring. The pins have cammed ends that can be driven in towards each other as the mop handle is pressed against a receiver portion of the cleaning head. The cleaning head can then be removed by sliding a button connected to one of the pins to dislodge that pin from its pivot mount.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/385,982, filed on Mar. 10, 2003. 
     
    
     
       STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not applicable.  
         FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention relates to cleaning devices and in particular to mop-like cleaning devices that permit cleaning heads to be easily attached and removed.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    A variety of mopping devices have been developed which permit a mop head to be removably attached to a mop handle (to facilitate changing of the head when desired). It is desirable for the consumer not to have to touch the mop head when it is being replaced, as at that point the head may be soiled and/or wet. Also, it is desirable that the mechanism for attachment and/or removal be intuitive so that the consumer does not need special training to use it.  
           [0005]    Further, it is desirable that the assembly provide a secure connection, preferably one that permits desired pivoting and/or swiveling of the mop head. Moreover, it is desirable that the attachment of the head to the mop handle be achievable using a simple motion rather than a complex motion. Another desirable feature is that the mop handle be connectable to the cleaning head with minimal requirement for the consumer to bend down to achieve the assembly. Also, it is desirable that these goals be achieved inexpensively and provide a secure connection.  
           [0006]    Known prior art mop assembly systems are typically deficient, or at least not optimal with regard to at least some of these desirable features. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,037 discloses a mop head that can pivot on a horizontal axis and also can swivel on a second axis extending laterally through the mop handle. The mop handle is attached to the head by a consumer pushing a rod against a spring to reduce the effective width of the lower end of the handle. The consumer then tips an opposed prong of the handle end to insert it into a holder on the head, tips the rod down, and then releases the rod. This multi-motion procedure for attachment is somewhat complex, and may be difficult for certain consumers to understand.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,557,473 relies on a series of downwardly extending forks which can be flexed towards each other and then released to attach the fork bottoms to the cleaning head. Apart from the concerns involved in relying on the absence of metal fatigue over long term to insure a secure connection, some consumers may have difficulty in squeezing the forks sufficiently, particularly if they have arthritis.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,001 discloses another type of mop. Its mop handle also carries an aerosol can which sprays cleaning liquid in front of the cleaning head as the mop is used. While the connection between the mop handle and the cleaning head is a universal joint, the connection is designed to be more permanent nature once the connection is achieved. This is because the system was designed to make the head essentially permanent, while having a replaceable sheet be used that can be mounted on the head. However, in some cases it is desirable for the entire head to be replaced (e.g. if the device is being converted from a mop to a window cleaner).  
           [0009]    Additional techniques for mounting cleaning heads to handles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,692,855, 5,926,896 and 6,523,213. The disclosures of these patents, and all other publications referred to herein, are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.  
           [0010]    Hence, a need still exists for providing improved assemblies that connect a mop handle to a mop head.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The invention provides a cleaning device having a handle having a lower connection portion with a pair of connecting pins that are resiliently biased outward in opposed directions, and a cleaning head having an upper connection portion. The handle can be connected to the cleaning head by moving the lower connection portion in a linear manner down against the upper connection portion to thereby cause a snap lock connection therebetween. When so connected the handle is mounted to pivot relative to the cleaning head on a horizontal axis, and preferably is also mounted to swivel relative to the cleaning head on an axis perpendicular to a plane in which the horizontal axis lies.  
           [0012]    In preferred forms the lower connection portion has a pair of connecting pins, with the pins being resiliently biased outward in opposed directions. Outward ends of both of the pins are cammed so as to cause the pins to move inward towards each other as the lower connection portion is pressed against the upper connection portion. Also, at least one of the pins can be manually slid against spring pressure towards the other pin to facilitate release of the handle from the cleaning head. In specific forms of this embodiment the manually slidable pin can be linked to a button having a dished portion, where the button has a leg that engages the manually slidable pin.  
           [0013]    The invention is particularly suitable for cleaning devices such as where the handle is further linked to an aerosol canister assembly for delivering a chemical from the canister assembly to a desired location adjacent the cleaning head, the cleaning head is designed for mopping, and the device further has a replacement cleaning head designed for wall or window cleaning.  
           [0014]    It will be appreciated that the present invention permits assembly of the handle (and associated cleaning fluid dispenser) to the cleaning head by simple linear motion. The consumer can leave the cleaning head on the floor and hold the handle by the top of the handle as the lower end of the handle is being driven against the top of the cleaning head. Hence, the consumer does not need to bend down to create the connection, or learn multiple different motions to achieve the connection.  
           [0015]    The connection is secure, albeit when desired sliding movement of a release button can decouple the head from the handle. The coupling assembly is relatively inexpensive to produce, reliable, and is particularly well suited for use with handles that also have a second swivel axis.  
           [0016]    These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following merely describes preferred embodiments of the invention. The claims should be looked to in order to understand the full scope of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device incorporating the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning device with an extension wand and remote grip assembly removed;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning device as shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a top view of the cleaning device as shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of FIG. 4;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the cleaning head;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a quick disconnect coupler separated from the cleaning head;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  of FIG. 6;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a partial plan view showing the coupler without the cleaning head;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 is an opposite side plan view of the coupler;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the coupler;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 is a reverse exploded perspective view of the coupler;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 is a partial detail cross-sectional view taken along line  13 - 13  of FIG. 4 showing the swivel connection of the coupler with a swivel locking element in an unlocked position;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 although showing the swivel locking element in a locked position disabling swivel movement;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 15 is a partial detail cross-sectional view taken along line  15 - 15  of FIG. 14;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view of a coupler body isolated from the swivel and swivel locking element;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line  17 - 17  of FIG. 11;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a latch ring;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional taken along line  19 - 19  of FIG. 9 showing a plug end of a main body of the device locked into a socket end of the coupler;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19 showing the latch ring moved into a release position out of engagement with the plug end;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 19 showing the plug and socket arrangement disconnected;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 22 is a partial perspective view of a second embodiment of the device having a quick disconnect coupler with opposing spring biased jaws;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 23 is a partial cross-sectional view taken through line  23 - 23  of FIG. 22;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the device having a removable snap-on adjustable cleaning head;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 25 is a partial back view of the cleaning head and the main body of the device;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 26 is a front view thereof;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 27 is a partial perspective view showing the sliding canister mount on the body of the device;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 28 is a partial front perspective view showing the adjustable connection of the cleaning head of the device of FIG. 24;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 29 is a view similar to FIG. 28 albeit illustrating the swivel action of the cleaning head with respect to the body of the device;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 30 is a partial exploded view of a lockable pivot connection between the cleaning head and the body of the device;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIGS. 31 and 32 are partial side sectional views taken along line  31 - 31  of FIG. 28 showing the cleaning head in different pivotal positions;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 33 is an enlarged partial section view of the pivot connection;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 34 is a front sectional view taken along line  34 - 34  of FIG. 31 showing the pivot connection with the cleaning head pivotally locked to the body of the device, the body of the device is shown disassembled from the cleaning head in phantom;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 35 is an enlarged partial section view showing a thumb lever retracting a pin of the pivot connection for release of the cleaning head from the body of the device;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 36 is a cut-away sectional view looking down at the pivot assembly;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 37 is a view similar to FIG. 35 showing the straight on snap in connection of the cleaning head to the device. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0053]    The present invention provides a trigger actuated cleaning device using an aerosol spray canister to dispense a cleaning agent. The primary focus of this application is a quick disconnect coupler for the cleaning head allowing it to pivot with at least two degrees of freedom. The other components of the cleaning device will be described briefly here, however, a better understanding of a device with similar components can be found in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/951,632, filed on Sep. 14, 2001 (now allowed), which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 1 of the drawings shows the cleaning device  10  of the present invention fully assembled in a mop-like configuration for cleaning floors or out of reach vertical or horizontal surfaces. FIG. 2 shows the cleaning device  10  with an extension wand removed so as to be shorter for cleaning nearby surfaces and to be more suitable for holding upright when cleaning close vertical surfaces, such as windows for example.  
         [0055]    With reference to these two figures and FIG. 3, the cleaning device  10  includes as major components a remote grip assembly  12 , an extension wand  14 , a main body  16  having its own grip assembly  18  and an adjustable retainer assembly  20  holding a canister  22 , and a cleaning head  24 . Internal to many of these components is a movable actuator assembly (not shown) linking triggers  28  and  30  of the two grip assemblies  12  and  18 , respectively, to the valve of the canister  22  for spraying cleaner contained therein near the cleaning head  24 .  
         [0056]    The remote grip assembly  12  includes a hollow (two-piece) plastic pistol grip housing defining a handle  32  and the pivotally mounted trigger  28  to be operable by an index finger when gripping the handle  32 . A hollow shaft extension  34  which plugs into a quick connect socket  36  at one end of the extension wand  14 . Similarly, the opposite end of the extension wand  14  plugs into a quick connect socket  38  at the end of the main body  16 . The ends of the shaft extension  34  and the extension wand  14  are identical as are the sockets  36  and  38 , thus if desired, the extension wand  14  can be removed from the assembly so that the remote grip assembly  12  can by directly connected to the main body  16 . As mentioned above and shown in FIG. 2, the remote grip assembly  12  and the extension wand  14  can be detached and the device operated by trigger  30  and held by handle  39  of the main body  16 . The grip assembly  12 , the extension wand  14  and the main body  16  houses core pieces (not shown) of the actuator assembly that slide in response to movement of either of the triggers  28  and  30  and in turn pivot an actuator lever (not shown) operating the valve of the canister  22 .  
         [0057]    The canister  22  is aligned and mounted to the main body  16  by the retainer assembly  20 , having a toe stop  40 , through which an end of the actuator lever protrudes when the triggers  28  and  30  are depressed, a T-shaped rail (not shown) and a heel assembly  42  having a slide  44  riding on the rail. A locking tab (not shown) formed in the rail clicks into one of two receivers at two preset adjustment locations to alternatively hold full or compact sized canisters. A mechanism at the back of the slide  44  has a spring biased latch (not shown) that engages an inside surface of a rim  46  at the bottom of the canister  22 . The latch is operated by a thumb operated release lever  48 , which when depressed clears the latch from the canister  22 . Releasing the release lever  48  resets the latch so that another canister can be snapped in place.  
         [0058]    In operation, a user generally utilizes the cleaning device like any conventional poled or hand-held cleaning aerosol device. When the user desires to spray cleaner onto the surface being cleaned, the user simply squeezes either trigger  28  or  30 , which pivots a hinged part of an overcap  50  on the canister  22  which in turn moves a valve stem (not shown) to open the canister valve and spray out cleaner. When the triggers  28  and  30  are released, springs (not shown) bias the actuator assembly to its original, non-activated position, which allows the canister valve to close and stop spraying.  
         [0059]    Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 6, the opposite end of the main body  16  connects to the cleaning head  24 , as described in detail below, by a quick disconnect coupler  52  mounted to a pivot mount  54  formed as an integral part of the a backing plate  56  supporting a compressible pad  58 . The pad  58  can be a substrate for mounting a cleaning cloth or dusting sheet or it may be a sponge or scrubber pad. The plate  56  and pad  58  could of course be replaced by a bristled brush head, wiper blade or any other suitable cleaning implement desired.  
         [0060]    More specifically, referring to FIGS. 5-8, the pivot mount  54  is actually two upstanding fixed mounts  60  spaced apart along a pivot axis  62  defining facing pivot grooves  64  with upper notches  66 . The two pivot grooves  64  are sized to receive two pivot bosses  68  on opposite lateral sides of a flared section  69  of a swivel  70  component of the coupler  52 . The bosses  68  have tapered surfaces  74  that facilitate camming the pivot bosses  68  into the pivot grooves  54  through the notches  66  during assembly. The flat surfaces  76  of the pivot bosses  68 , however, resist separation during normal use. Thus, when assembling or disassembling this pivot connection, the coupler  52  should be oriented so that the tapered surfaces  74  are the leading surfaces.  
         [0061]    Referring to FIGS. 8-12 and  16 , the swivel  70  has a generally circular section  78  with a ribbed ring  80  that fits around a hub  82  in an annular recess  84  at a round end  86  of a coupler body  88 . The swivel  70  and coupler body  88  are pivotally joined along a swivel axis  90  by a fastener  92  disposed through a central opening  94  of the swivel  70  and threaded into a bore  96  of the coupler body  88 . The swivel axis  90  is disposed in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane containing the pivot axis  62 . Ordinarily, the coupler body  88  is free to pivot about the swivel axis  90  until the flared section  69  is stopped by contact with the sides of the coupler body  88 .  
         [0062]    As shown in FIGS. 10-15, the coupler  52  includes a locking element  98  disposed in a recess  100  in the coupler body  88 . The locking element  98  includes a grip section  102  and a stop  104  with a narrowed neck section  106  disposed through a slot  108  in the coupler body  88 . The recess  100  and the slot  108  are longer than the respective grip  102  and neck  106  sections to permit the locking element  98  to slide between locked and unlocked positions with respect to the coupler body  88 . As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the locking element  98  is in the unlocked position, the stop  104  fits into a radial slot  110  in the hub  82  of the coupler body  88  clear from the ring  80  of the swivel  70 . By sliding the locking element  98  to the locked position shown in FIG. 13, the stop  104  fits into a radial slot  112  in the ring  80  (aligned with slot  110 ) so as to interfere with the swivel  70  and prevent it from pivoting about swivel axis  90 . This arrangement allows the swivel to be disabled quickly and easily when not needed or when a more rigid connection is desired.  
         [0063]    Referring now to FIGS.  5 ,  11 - 12  and  17 - 21 , the opposite end of the coupler  52  provides a plug and socket type quick disconnect attachment with an end of the main body  16 . In particular, the coupler  52  has a socket  120  with a tubular end  122  that receives a male plug end  124  of the main body  16  and fits inside of an end shroud  125  of the main body  16 . The plug end  124  is retained in the socket  120  by a latch ring  126 . As shown in FIG. 18, the latch ring  126  is generally ring-shaped element  127  with flat long sides and has a button  128  mounted at a short end by a snap-fit pin  129  and socket  131  connection. The latch ring  126  could, of course, be a single unitary component; however, it is shown in two parts here for ease of assembly. The latch ring  126  is slidably captured within a slot  130  in the coupler  52  and protrudes through opposite sides of the coupler  52 . The latch ring  126  is biased by a spring  132  to be concentric with the main axis of the socket  120 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 19, so that a catch surface  134  of the latch ring  126  engages with a radial surface  136  of the plug end  124  to prevent axial separation of the main body  16  from the coupler  52 .  
         [0064]    The main body  16  can be quickly connected to the cleaning head  24  by sliding the plug end  124  into the socket  120 . Doing so causes the radial surface  136  to cam against a ramped side  140  of the catch  134  and drive the latch ring  126  out of the way of the plug end  124 , as shown in FIG. 20. Once the radial surface  136  passes the catch member  134  the spring  132  returns the latch ring  126  to its original position, as shown in FIG. 19. Depressing the button  128  against the spring  132  clears the catch member  134  from the radial surface  136  so that the plug end  1124  can be slid out of the socket  120 , as shown in FIG. 21.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIGS. 22 and 23 show an alternate embodiment of the cleaning device  10 A of the present invention, shown here with a squeegee type cleaning head  24 A and with a slightly modified main body  16 A and retainer  20 A assembly as well as an alternate coupler  52 A assembly. Specifically, in this embodiment, the coupler  52 A includes a coupler body  88 A in which are pivotally mounted opposing jaws  200  having tail ends  202  with raised grips  204  biased outwardly by a spring  206 . The spring  206  thus biases the jaws  200  to maintain teeth  208  in an opening  210  concentric with a swivel axis  90 A of a swivel  212 . Preferably, the swivel  212  has two parts  214  and  216  that are pivotally mated together about another swivel axis  218 . The second part  216  is in turn pivotally mounted along a pivot axis  62 A with spaced pivot mounts  60 A fixed to the cleaning head  24 A.  
         [0066]    Depressing the grips  204  inwardly toward each other opens the jaws  200  and disengages the teeth  208  from the opening  210  in swivel part  212  so that the coupler  52 A can be separated from the cleaning head  24 A. The cleaning head  24 A can be quickly reattached again by pressing in on the grips  204  and clamping the teeth  208  into the opening  210 . This arrangement thus provides rapid connection and disconnection like the previously described embodiment. Also like before, this embodiment provides pivoting of the cleaning head  24 A with respect to the main body  16 A about two perpendicular pivot  62 A and swivel  90 A axes. In addition, it provides a fully  360  degree rotation about the third perpendicular swivel axis  218 . Although not shown, various locking pins or other features could be provided to disable one or both of the swivel motions, as desired.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIGS. 24-36 illustrate another version of the present invention in which the cleaning head is attached to the body of the device in a releasable pivot connection so that when attached it is free to pivot front to back with respect to the device. The pivot connection of this embodiment allows the cleaning head to be snapped onto the device in a straight on motion. Once attached, it is positively locked on while being free to pivot. The cleaning head can be removed by activating a release button or lever. In addition to the pivotal motion, the cleaning head preferably can also swivel from side to side or be locked into one of several preset (perpendicular or oblique) angular positions.  
         [0068]    [0068]FIGS. 24-26 illustrate this embodiment of the cleaning device  300  of the present invention fully assembled in a mop-like configuration for cleaning floors or out of reach vertical or horizontal surfaces. Although not shown specifically in this embodiment, the device can take on a held-held configuration by removing an extension wand (similar to that shown in FIG.  2 ). This shorter configuration makes it easier to hold upright and to clean nearby surfaces.  
         [0069]    Generally, the cleaning device  300  includes a remote grip assembly  302 , an extension wand  304 , a main body  306  having its own grip assembly  308  and an adjustable canister (like item  22  in FIG. 1) retainer assembly  310 , and a cleaning head  312 . The remote grip assembly  302  is generally the same as described above, having a hollow plastic pistol grip having a handle and a trigger. One or more hollow sections form the wand  304  and connect the remote grip  302  to the main body  306 . Snap together and quick releasing socket connections allow for quick assembly and disassembly of the wand  304  and the remote grip  302 . For a shortened device, the grip assembly  308  can be used, or the remote grip  302  can by directly connected to the main body  306  without the wand  304 .  
         [0070]    Within many of these components is a movable actuator assembly linking the triggers of the two grip assemblies to the valve of the canister for spraying cleaner contained therein near the cleaning head  312 . Core pieces (not shown) of the actuator assembly slide in response to movement of either of the triggers and in turn pivot an actuator lever  314  to operate the valve of the canister. The canister is aligned and mounted to the main body  306  by the retainer assembly  310  (see FIG. 27), having a specially shaped toe stop  320 , through which an end of the actuator lever protrudes when either of the triggers is depressed. A rail (not shown) mounts a heel assembly  322  having a slide  324  which rides on the rail. A locking tab  326  formed in the rail clicks into one of two receiver openings  328  at two preset adjustment locations to alternatively hold full or compact sized canisters. The canister is inserted into and removed from the retainer assembly  310  by depressing the locking tab  326  so that it clears the receiver opening thereby allowing the slide  324  to slide on the rail. Generally the slide  324  is moved away from the toe stop  320  to make room to insert the canister and then moved toward the toe stop  320  to clamp the canister in place. A spring biased latch  330  engages the inside of the bottom rim of the canister to prevent it from falling out when upside down.  
         [0071]    In operation, a user generally utilizes the cleaning device  300  like any conventional poled or hand-held aerosol spray cleaning device. When desired, the user simply squeezes a trigger to move the hidden actuating linkage, which pivot a hinged part of an overcap on the canister to open the canister valve and spray out cleaner. When the trigger is released, a spring biases the actuator linkage to its original, non-activated position, which allows the canister valve to close and stop spraying.  
         [0072]    As shown in FIGS. 28-30, the opposite end of the main body  306  connects to the cleaning head  312  by a coupler  332 . The coupler  332  provides for, as mentioned above, both side to side swiveling of the cleaning head  312  with respect to the body  306  as well as front to back pivotal motion. Generally, the coupler  332  includes a stationary (or non-swiveling) part  334  and a swivel  336 . The swivel  336  is a separate component rotatably mounted to the stationary part  334  along a swivel axis  338  (see FIG. 24), for example by a pin, rivet or bolt. The stationary part  334  can be a separate part from the body  306  (as shown in FIG. 31) in which an end fits into a socket at the end of the body  306  and is fastened in place. Or, while not shown herein, the stationary part could be a unitary part of the body  306 , for example formed integrally therewith in a single molding operation.  
         [0073]    The stationary part  334  defines a slot  344  (see FIGS. 28 and 29) extending along a longitudinal axis  342  (see FIG. 24) in which a swivel lock  346  fits so it can slide between locked (FIG. 28) and swivel or unlocked (FIG. 29) positions. The swivel lock  346  has on outer grip  348  which extends to one side of the coupler and an internal stop  350  with a narrowed neck section  352 . The swivel  336  has a round end that defines a generally circular section  360  extending axially concentric with the swivel axis  338 . The circular section  360  defines one or more radial slots (not shown), spaced apart circumferentially if more than one. These slots are sized to accept the stop  350  of the swivel lock  346  when aligned with a longitudinal axis  342  of the body  306  (see FIG. 24) and when it is moved to the locked position. Having several of the slots allows the cleaning head to be rapidly locked in one of several angular positions with respect to the body  306 . For example, there could be slots at approximately 10, 12 and 2 o&#39;clock, in which the 12 o&#39;clock slot is used to centered the cleaning head, that is to align it perpendicularly with the longitudinal axis  342  of the body  306 . The other two slots allow the cleaning head to be held at an oblique (non-perpendicular) angle with respect to the body  306 . Exemplary spacing of the slots would be between 10 and 45 degrees. The swivel  336  is thus locked and unlocked by simply sliding the swivel lock  346  up or down. When the swivel lock  346  is in the locked position, the stop  350  fits into the radial slot and interferes with movement of the radial surfaces defining the slot so as to prevent any meaningful rotation of the swivel  336 . By sliding the swivel lock  346  to the swivel or unlocked position, the stop  350  clears the slot to allow rotation of the swivel  336 . The angular position of the cleaning head  312  relative to the body  306  also can be quickly changed by sliding the swivel lock  346  to the unlocked position, rotating the swivel  336  to align one of the non-centering slots with the longitudinal axis and then re-locking the swivel  336 . Registration markings can be provided on the swivel  336  and stationary part  334  to visually aid in alignment. A more detailed explanation and illustration of the swivel arrangement is provided in co-pending U.S. application entitled “Cleaning Device With Preset Lockable Swivel Head”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.  
         [0074]    Referring to FIGS. 30-36, the cleaning head  312  is pivotally mounted to the swivel  336  about a pivot axis  370 , which is perpendicular to the swivel axis  338 . The cleaning head  312  has a pivot mount  372  formed as an integral part of a backing plate  374  supporting a compressible pad  376 . It should be noted that as in prior embodiments, the pad  376  can be a substrate for mounting a cleaning cloth or dusting sheet or it may be a sponge or scrubber pad, and the backing plate  374  and pad  376  could be replaced by a bristled brush head, wiper blade or any other suitable cleaning implement desired.  
         [0075]    In any event, the pivot mount  372  is formed by two upstanding fixed mounts  378  spaced apart along the pivot axis  370  and defining two facing pivot holes  380 . These two pivot holes  380  receive two pivot pins  382  and  383  slidably housed in bores in a yoke end of the swivel  336 . The pivot pins  382  and  383  are biased apart by a spring  384  received in pockets  386  in enlarged heads  388  of the pins  382  and  383 . The spring  384  and the pins  382  and  383  are enclosed by a partially cylindrical (split lengthwise) pivot lock  390 . The pivot lock  390  has lengthwise ribs  392  that snap into elongated depressions  394  on the swivel  336 . The depressions  394  are longer than the pivot lock  390  so that it can slide from side to side when manipulated. A grip  396  at the outer surface makes facilitates sliding the pivot lock  390  with a thumb or finger. The pivot lock  390  also has an inner leg  398  with a semi-circular opening  400  that fits around the shaft of pin  382 .  
         [0076]    Both pins  382  and  383  can slide in and out of the swivel  336  against the spring  384  so that the cleaning head  312  can snap straight onto the coupler  332 . As shown in FIG. 37, the pins  382  and  382  deflect inward as they come in contact with their associated mount  378  until they clear the contacting surfaces and are able to extending into the pivot holes  380  by the force of the spring  384 . This is eased by the cammed ends  402  of the pins  382  and  383 . The cammed ends  402  can be rounded, tapered or otherwise “softened” at the ends so as to facilitate the straight on connection of the cleaning head  312  to the device. In particular, the cammed ends  402  help transfer the forces arising from the longitudinal motion of joining the cleaning head  312  to the device to cause lateral movement of the pins  382  and  383  so that they retract against the spring  384 . During assembly, the pins  382  and  383  both retract which brings their heads  388  closer together and causes the spring  384  to be compressed. The pins  382  and  383  retract independent of the pivot lock  390 , which remains stationary during assembly. The resulting connection locks the cleaning head  312  to the coupler  332 , and thus the body  306  of the device  300 , while permitting front to back relative pivoting about the pivot axis  370 . As shown in FIG. 35, sliding the pivot lock  390  from its resting position, preferably by using the grip  396 , causes the leg  398  to abut the head  388  of pin  382  and thereby retract it against the spring  384 . This allows the retracted pin  382  to clear its mount by manually pivoting the device up or to the side. The other pin  383  remains extended but can then be pulled out of the associated pivot hole to completely separate the cleaning head  312  from the coupler  332 , and thereby the body  306  of the cleaning device  300 .  
         [0077]    It should be appreciated that preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. However, many modifications and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced.  
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
       [0078]    The invention is aerosol cleaning device having an improved pivotal connection for the cleaning head allowing rapid locking assembly and disassembly of the cleaning head.