Abstract:
A mop fixture for receiving and holding a mop head has a hood of resilient polymeric material which is attachable to a mop handle. A mop retaining bar has opposite ends terminating in down turned hook portions and snaps into spaced end walls of the hood. A mop head with depending opposite strand bunches is centered by the mop retaining bar so that the center of the mop head is retained within the hood. The mop retaining bar is removable to accommodate thicker or thinner mop heads.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10/037,813, filed Jan. 4, 2002. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to mops and particularly to fixtures for holding mop heads so that they can be manufactured and connected to mop heads by fast, reliable automated production.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Mops, in particularly, wet mops are widely used to clean floors of homes, offices, vehicles and boats. The mop is usually composed of three components, an elongate mop handle, a mop head, typically consisting of an assemblage of cotton or other fibrous strands which are bunched or gathered together in a center and finally a mop fixture to which the handle is attached and which connects the mop head to the handle. Some mop fixtures do not accommodate fast, labor free automated production.  
           [0004]    Mop fixtures have been constructed in various forms and range from simple end clips to more complex clamps of metal or plastic. While there has been significant development in mop fixtures, many are subject to loosening, many do not sufficiently tightly grip the mop head, allowing it to become loose, many are subject to fracturing, some are too heavy and all have various infirmities for which the present invention is intended to overcome.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The objects of the present invention are:  
           [0006]    1. to provide a mop fixture for receiving and holding a mop head which is formed of a resilient polymeric material which is not subject to rusting and is substantially unbreakable in use;  
           [0007]    2. to provide such a mop fixture by which a mop head can readily be assembled using automated production methods;  
           [0008]    3. to provide such a mop fixture which utilizes an inner clip fastener that fits within a chambered hood and clips to openings on opposite ends of the hood;  
           [0009]    4. to provide such a mop fixture by which the clip fastener is able to accommodate mop heads of differing thickness; and  
           [0010]    5. to provide such a mop fixture which is particularly sturdy and efficient in use.  
           [0011]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following disclosure.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    A mop fixture for receiving and holding a mop head includes a hood of resilient polymeric material. The hood has front and rear spaced apart substantially vertical walls, lateral end walls connected to the front and rear walls and a top wall connected to the front, rear and end walls and forming a cavity to receive a mop head. A handle end receiving tubular boss is formed integrally with the hood and extends upwardly therefrom. A mop retaining bar has opposite ends terminating in down turned hook portions and is of a length extending the length of the hood and slightly larger than the hood so that the bar hook portions snap into slots in the hood end walls and securely hold the mop head within the fixture. The mop retaining bar is configured to be reversible and accommodate thicker or thinner mop heads. This fixture eliminates any need to stitch individual mop strands on strips at the center of the mop head. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a mop fixture embodying the present invention and showing a mop handle and mop head attached thereto.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a disassembled perspective view of the mop fixture.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of interconnecting portions of the mop fixture.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view having an alternative, reversible, mop retaining bar, the bar being shown in a position to retain thinner mops.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional of the alternative embodiment shown on FIG. 4, with the bar reversed to retain thicker mops.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]    As required, a detailed description of the preferred embodiment is disclosed herein, however, other embodiments or configurations may be apparent and within the concept of this invention and maybe based upon the following description to those having ordinary skill in the art.  
         [0019]    The reference numeral  1 , FIG. 1 generally indicates a mop fixture embodying the present invention. The mop fixture  1  attaches to a mop handle  2  and secures a mop head  3  to the handle  1  for use as an assembly for mopping purposes. The mop handle  2  is an elongate stick formed of wood, tubular metal or fiberglass. The mop head  3  may be formed of various types of materials such as non woven materials and in various configurations such as sandwich fold or fan-fold embodiments. For purposes of providing an exemplar, the mop head  3  is formed of strips of non woven material which are strand or ribbon-like in appearance and are formed with spaced end sections about a center portion  4  which is gathered and received within the mop fixture  1 .  
         [0020]    As shown in FIG. 2, the mop fixture  1  is formed of a hood of resilient polymeric material such as polypropylene. The hood  6  is generally formed with front and rear spaced apart substantially vertical walls  7  and  8 , lateral end walls  9  and  10 , and a top wall  11  connected to the front rear and end walls  7  through  10  to form a cavity  12  therein to receive the mop head  3 . The top wall  11  preferably takes the form of a narrow extended solid rib so as to lend strength to fixture  1  to prevent bending. The walls  7  and  8  extend longitudinally and parallel to the top rib wall  11  and flare outwardly then downwardly, forming shoulders at the flare. The walls  7  and  8  flex resiliently at the shoulder flare to squeeze upon the double center of a mop head when the mop head is installed and flex when the mop head is placed in a wringer and squeezed tight so as to more fully enable extraction of water than would be possible with other types of fixtures. A centered boss  14  extends upwardly from the top wall  111  and receives the end of the mop handle  2  therein. As illustrated, the boss  14  includes a lower shoulder forming portion  15  and an upper receptacle  16  strengthened by vanes  17 . The strength of the portions of the boss  14  resist flexing between the mop handle  2  and the fixture  1 . Similarly, the significant strength of the solid top wall rib  11  resists longitudinal flexing of the mop fixture  1 . The end walls  9  and  10  are semicircular in form so as to form the cavity in a generally oval form. The end walls  9  and  10  have vertically oriented slots  20  therein which are strengthened by spaced guide vanes  21  bracketing the sides of the slots  20 .  
         [0021]    A retaining bar  23  has opposite ends  24  and  25  terminating in down turned hook portions which snap into the respective slots  20 . The retaining bar  23  includes a longitudinal depressed center section  27  for conservation of material and the ends  24  and  25  taper from a tapered center  29  to maximize strength. The down turned hook ends  24  and  25  are sized to be snugly received and snap into the slots  20 , as shown in FIG. 3 and are guided therein by the guide vanes  21 .  
         [0022]    In manufacture, as by automated equipment, the mop head  3  is positioned so that its center portion  4  is laid over the cavity  12  of the mop fixture hood  6  and the retaining bar  23  snapped therein by machinery pushing down on the ends until the hook portions slide into and are captured within the slots  20  on both ends. Thereafter, the mop is ready for use. Tile polypropylene material of the mop fixture  1  can compress slightly when laterally squeezed, as by a mop wringer. This compression assists in wringing out flowable water from the mop. Dimensions and details of configuration may be selected to accord with various wringer designs, such as those wringers manufactured by assignee Scot Young Research, Ltd.  
         [0023]    An alternative form of mop retaining bar  30  is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 wherein the bar  30  is reversible by rotating the bar  30  180° on its longitudinal axis. This permits the bor  30 , when snapped into place, to accommodate mop heads  3  that are thicker or thinner. The alternative mop retaining bar  30  resembles the bar  23  with the exception of the ends  32  which are enlarged and include an inclined indented upper step  34  on a top surface  35 . The top surface  35  is situated above the level of the step  34  and is positioned close to the top interior wall  11  of the cavity  12 . A lip  37  of the respective end walls  9  and  10  fits into the indented step  34 . An inset bottom surface  40  of the bar  30  is similar and includes an inclined, indented bottom step  42  running into the bottom surface  40 . The top step  34  can be considered a step tip and the bottom step  42  a step in. Upon reversal, the step in presents a wider gap between the upper surface of the bar  30  and the top of the interior wall  11 , allowing for a thicker mop head to be connected.  
         [0024]    The ends  32  are trapped between the upper lip  37  and a lower lip  44  of the slot  20 , with the step  34  or  42 , whichever is on top, bearing against the lip  37  and locking the bar  30  in place.  
         [0025]    This embodiment is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention because of the flexibility it offers in accommodating various mop head sizes.