FOLDABLE MOP

Abstract: This invention relates to the field of floor cleaning and floor treatment, and in particular relates to such activities carried out with use of a foldable flat mop provided with a replaceable absorbent mopping layer. The present invention provides a novel and more convenient method of attachment of mopping layers to mop heads (101) involving the inter-engagement of tongue portions (132) and pocket portions (133, 134). In addition there is provided a novel mechanism for returning a folded mop head to its flat working configuration by coaction between a mop stick portion (111, 161) and a mop head portion (153, 160).

Description: FOLDABLE MOP This invention relates to the field of floor cleaning and floor treatment, and in particular relates to such activities carried out with use of a mop Well known mopping systems comprise a mop stick with a mop head of cotton strands or other similar fluid-absorbent material a bucket and some means by which excess fluid can be removed from the mop head once it has been immersed in fluid in the bucket Many systems use a mop press or wringer to remove excess fluid from the mop head In recent years flat mops have become increasingly widespread and popular for floor cleaning and for disinfection of floors A typical prior art flat mop is shown as 10 in figure 1 The mop comprises a mop head 11 pivotally attached to a mop stick 12 The mop head is usually an elongate rectilinear flat member 13 which carries on an underside thereof an absorbent mopping layer 14 The mopping layer is typically held flat between opposite ends of the mop head In order to facilitate rinsing and squeezing of the absorbent layer, the mop head may be foldable at a mid point of the mop head so that the opposite ends approach each other thereby permitting the absorbent layer to fall from the underside of the mop head so that it depends from the opposite ends In this latter configuration the absorbent layer may be dipped into a water reservoir such as a bucket and then pressed to remove excess water before resuming use of the unfolded mop head. Occasionally it is necessary to replace the mopping layer when wear and tear dictates, or when the mop is used for disinfecting and the absorbent layer must be discarded in the interests of hygiene As shown in figure 1 , conventionally the absorbent layer 14 is attached to the mop head by the clamping of flexible webbing portions 15,16 (shown in dotted shading in figure 1 ) provided at each end of the absorbent layer. The webbing portions overlap and are folded around the respective ends of the mop head and are then fed through releasable clamps 17,18 on the upper surfaces of respective end regions of the mop head The clamping ' of the webbing portions is a fiddly and time consuming process and if incorrectly done the absorbent layer will be slack when the mop head is unfolded into the flat "working" configuration Ideally the moping layer should be attached when the mop head is in the folded configuration and clamped at each end so that when the mop head is unfolded into the flat configuration the mopping layer is stretched slightly so that a tension is introduced into the mopping layer Frequently, however, users attempt to attach the absorbent layer to the mop head when the mop head is in the unfolded, flat configuration. In this configuration it is very difficult to attach the layer so that it remains tautly extended across the underside of the mop head Usually the mopping layer is left slack and prone to movement relative to the mop head as it is used to clean a floor surface This problem has been addressed by providing absorbent layers which have formed at each end thereof a pocket Each pocket opens towards the other pocket at the other end of the mopping layer The pockets are located on the upper, non-working surface of the mopping layer so that attachment to the mop head may simply be by entry of end regions of the mop head into the respective pockets when the mop is folded As the mop is unfolded the rigid "tongues" formed by the end regions of the mopping layer urge against their respective pocket so that the absorbent layer extends and is held taut between the two ends of the mop head This arrangement is particularly useful for disinfection applications where the absorbent layer is discarded after use. However where repeated rinsing and squeezing is desirable, its use is not convenient because the absorbent layer is not retained on the mop head other than by the inter-engagement of the end regions of the mop head into the pockets Hence the mopping layer tends to fall away under the influence of its own weight once the mop head is folded for rinsing Consequently the clamping arrangement discussed above is used for applications where frequent rinsing is required It is an object of the present invention to provide a system of attaching mopping layers to foldable flat mops which has the convenience of the prior art pocket arrangements described above but which is also capable of being used where repeated charging and wringing of the mop is required Another problem occurs with known foldable flat mops This problem relates to the unfolding of the mop head into the flat configuration after rinsing or charging with cleaning fluid The usual method is to position the two depending sides of the mop head onto a surface and the apply downwards pressure to force the mop head sides to splay outwardly However, because the mop head sides hang substantially vertically downwards, the component of lateral force which acts on the mop head sides is very low Often a great deal of pressure may have to be exerted before the folded mop head will spread to the flat working configuration The amount of pressure required is inconvenient to the user and often it is easier for the mop head sides to be separated by manipulation by the user, for example by use of the hands, feet or by spinning the mop head so that the sides move apart by centrifugal action Use of the hands requires the cleaner to bend down straining the back Spinning the mop head may result in unwanted splashing of cleaning solution onto the user and previously cleaned floor areas Even when it is possible to exert enough pressure to force the mop head sides apart, the pressure exerted by the end portions of the mop head may be sufficient to damage a delicate floor surface, such as a wooden surface. The present invention provides improvements to mop heads which overcome, inter alia, the foregoing problems. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a flat mop head comprising a flat body adapted to be attached to a mop stick via a universal joint, a fluid-absorbent mopping layer to be located adjacent an underside of the body, and mopping layer attachment means for releasably attaching the mopping layer to the body with the mopping layer held extended between respective ends of the mop head, wherein said mop head is adapted to be foldable from:- (i) a working configuration, in which respective foldable portions of the body are substantially co-planar for mopping of a surface; to (ii) a folded configuration in which the foldable portions are folded such that respective underside portions of the body are moved towards one another thereby permitting the mopping layer to fall away from the underside of the mop head for rinsing and/or pressing of the mopping layer or removal thereof from the mop head. The attachment means may comprises an arrangement in which respective tongue portions are hooked into associated pocket portions to effect attachment between end regions of the body and corresponding end regions of the mopping layer, the arrangement being such that when the mop head is folded the mopping layer can hang depending from the ends of the mop head and may be detached by manual unhooking of the attachment means Preferably, in the unfolded configuration the mopping layer is held taut between the respective end regions of the mop head with the associated tongue and pocket portions urged into inter-engagement In one embodiment the attachment means may comprise a rigid tongue provided on an upper side of each foldable portion of the body, each of which tongues is directed generally inwardly of the body According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an absorbent mopping layer suitable for use in the mop head described in the foregoing, which mopping layer is provided at each end thereof with a respective pocket having an opening facing generally inwardly of the mopping layer, which pockets are suitable to be hooked over the tongues of the mop head when the mop head is in its folded configuration The mopping layer may comprise a backing layer which carries on an underside thereof an absorbent working material, and wherein the pockets are formed on respective backing layer extension portions, each extension portion formed at a respective end of the mopping layer the arrangement being such that each extension portion may be folded around a respective end of the mop head body and hooked over the associated tongue portion to effect attachment of the mopping layer to the body portion The pockets may each comprise a pouch sewn into the respective backing layer extension portion In a particularly versatile embodiment of the invention there is provided a mop head previously described wherein the respective tongue portions are removably engaged with the body and wherein, after removal of the tongues, end regions of the foldable body portions may be inserted into associated pockets provided on an upper surface of an alternative mopping layer to be discarded after use, whereby the mop head is operable in two modes one in which the tongues are in place and the mopping layer may be rinsed and pressed when in the folded configuration and another mode in which the tongues are detached and in which the alternative mopping tends to fall off the mop head body when in the folded configuration, thereby permitting easy discarding of the alternative mopping layer The tongues may each be rendered removable by the resilient inter- engagement or disengagement of a barb and a corresoonding lip over which the barb sits According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a flat mop comprising a mop head as previously described and having a mop stick attached thereto characterised in that in the folded configuration a portion of the mop head body and a portion of the mop stick are capable of co- acting directly or indirectly such that as the mop stick approaches a vertical orientation with the mop head depending therefrom the co-action splays the folded mop head apart In preferred embodiments, when the stick is in the vertical orientation the co-action splays the folded mop head to produce from 25 to 50° separation between mop head folded portions There are many ways of effecting the necessary coaction For example, the co-acting portions of the mop head and/or stick may comprise extensions or recesses thereto According to a particularly elegant solution a rigid extension of one of the foldable portions extends beyond a hinge of that foldable portion and towards and / or into the other foldable portion, whereby on folding the mop head body, the extension rotates about the hinge and approaches a lower end portion of the mop stick for co-action therewith. The lower end portion of the mop stick and the rigid extension may each be provided with co-action surfaces, the arrangement being such that when the handle is generally horizontal the foldable portions may depend substantially vertically from the lower end of the handle and, as the stick is moved towards a vertical orientation, the co-acting surfaces contact one another thereby forcing one foldable portion of the folded mop head from the other. Preferably one or both of the co-acting surfaces may be formed by a respective cam. The mop head is preferably provided with releasable latch means adapted hold the mop head flat and permit folding from time to time. Suitable mechanisms are well known in the art. The latch means preferably comprises a latch. Suitable latches will be known to the man skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the latch is operable by downward pressure on an upper side of a portion of the mop head. The mop head may be attached to the stick by means of a universal joint. This allows complete freedom of movement of the stick relative to the mop head. However, it is within the scope of this invention for. for example, only one degree of freedom to be present in the attachment between the stick and the mop head. The following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying figures of the drawings of methods of putting the various aspects of the present inventive concept into effect. in the drawings:- Figure 1 is a perspective from a front side of a prior art mop head described in the introductory portion of this specification. Figure 2 is a perspective view from a front side of a mop head according to the present invention and provided with a mopping layer suitable for use in disinfecting applications. Figure 3 is a perspective view from the front side of the mop head of figure 2 adapted for use with a mopping layer capable of repeated rinsing and pressing, which mop head has been adapted by the engagement of removable mopping layer attachment tongues, one of which tongues is visible on the left hand side and the other of which is obscured by a mopping layer pocket Figure 4 is a perspective view from the front of a mopping layer suitable for disinfecting applications Figure 5 is a perspective view from the front of a mopping layer according to the present invention Figure 6 is a front view of a mop according to the present invention comprising a mop head in a folded configuration and a generally horizontal mop stick Figure 7 is a front view of the mop of figure 6 shown with a generally vertically oriented mop stick A mop according to one aspect of the present invention is shown as 100 in figure 2 The mop comprises an elongate generally rectilinear body 101 The body portion is divided into two distinct foldable portions 102 and 103 corresponding to the left and right hand ends of the mop body portion (the right hand portion is dotted in figures 2,3,6 & 7 ) Each of the body portions is attached to a mounting bracket 105 which is a rectilinear member accommodated between the left and right foldable portions in the centre of the body The bracket has formed on an upper surface thereof two upstanding flange members 106 107 the flange members carry therebetween a cylindrical axle (obscured in figure 2) A grasping bracket 108 is a snap fit on the axle The grasping bracket is formed with front and back cheek pieces (front cheek visible as 109) distal from the axle grasp Extending between the cheek pieces is a second axle 110 The second axle passes through an eyelet (not visible) formed in a lower end portion of a mop stick sleeve 111 The sleeve is a generally cylindrical and tapering plastics hollow moulded member Inserted into the sleeve is the lower end of a wooden mop stick pole 1 12 The mop stick is held attached to the sleeve by means of a threaded collar 1 13 which tightens onto the mop pole lower end The two axles permit movement of the mop head relative to the arc in two perpendicular arcs thereby functioning as a universal joint An outer end region 114, 1 15 (shown in dashed lines) of each foldable portion of the mop is gently tapered Each outer end region is accommodated in a pouch 1 16 1 17 of an absorbent mopping layer suitable for disinfectant use The mopping layer is shown more clearly in figure 4 The mopping layer comprises a webbing backing layer 120 of woven material Knitted to an underside 121 of the webbing layer is a plurality of absorbent strands 122 which form the working surface of the mop. An upper surface of the webbing layer is provided at one end region with a first pouch 1 16. The pouch is attached to the webbing layer by sewing on the three sides corresponding to the edges of the webbing layer. The forth side forms the entrance 124 of the pouch and opens towards the opposite end region 125 of the mopping layer. A second pouch 117 is provided on the other end region of the webbing layer forming a mirror image of the first. In use these two pouches accommodate the end regions of the foldable body portions 102 and 103 of the mop shown in figure 2. An alternative configuration of the same mop head is shown in figure 3. Identical features to those described in the preceding section are numbered in the same manner as for that section. The mop head differs in that the end regions 114,115 of the mop head are provided with inwardly directed C-section rigid members 130 (left hand example only visible in the figure 3) The C-section plates have an integral base portion 131 juxtaposed the end regions, and an integral tongue portion 132 which lies above the base portion parallel thereto and extending generally towards the middle of the mop head body When a mopping layer is attached to the mop head (as shown for the right hand end region 1 15) the tongue portions are accommodated in pouches 133,134 of the mopping layer. The C-section plates are attached to the end regions by means of a resilient barb and lip arrangement (not shown) which permits the plates to be removed and re- attached as required according to the desired configuration The mopping layer used in this second configuration is shown in figure 5 The webbing layer and absorbent layers are as described for the mopping layer of figure 4, and are numbered identically This alternative mopping layer is at each end 140,141 thereof provided with extension pieces 142 143 The extension pieces are continuations of the webbing layer and are made of flexible plastics-backed material No absorbent strands are woven onto these extensions The distal ends of each extension are formed as pouches 133, 134 by folding back and sewing along the side portions 146 and 147 of the extension pieces These pouches thus open out towards the centre of the mopping layer When attached to the alternative configuration mopping head the pouches accommodate the tongues as shown in figure 3 The mopping layers (of figures 4 and 5) are slightly undersized in the longitudinal direction so that they are kept under longitudinal tension when the mop head is in the flat configuration This ensures that the mopping layer does not sag or displace during use It will be appreciated by the skilled person that in order to fit the mopping layers it is usually necessary to fold the mop body so that the distance between the respective end regions thereof is reduced sufficiently to allow the pouches to be entered by the tongues or end regions, as appropriate In the case of the removable tongues, it is possible to keep the mop body in a flat configuration and insert the respective tongues into the pouches before the tongues are themselves attached to the body portion Folding of the body may be by the release of a conventional latch Such latches are well known in the art and an example is therefore not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity when describing the inventive features The mop head shown in figure 3 and described in the foregoing is shown in a folded configuration in figure 6 The mop stick 112 is in a generally horizontal orientation corresponding to the user lifting the mop head from the floor surface for rinsing or pressing of the mopping layer A mopping layer of the type shown in figure 5 is shown schematically in dashed lines for the sake of clarity Under the influence of its own weight the mopping layer falls from the underside of the body of the mop head the mopping layer is attached to the mop head by means of the c-section plates 130 and thus depends from the end regions of the foldable portions of the mop head body The right hand and left hand foldable portions 103 and 102 are each provided at an inside edge region thereof with a resoective pivotable connection 150 151 to the bracket 105 The portions 102 and 103 are each capable of swinging from a respective end of the bracket An extension 153 of the left hand portion shown from above in figure 3 The extension is a frame member comprising two extension arms 155,156 and a cross piece 157 The arms and cross piece together define a square cut-out 154 In the flat unfolded configuration the cut-out accommodates the top portion 158 of an inside end region of the right hand portion 103 The cross piece nestles in the recess 159 shown in the right hand portion 103 as shown in figure 6 An upper surface of the cross piece is formed with a first cam member 160 thereon A lower end region of the mop stick sleeve 111 is provided with a second cam member 161 When the mop stick is moved towards the vertical as indicated by arrow A in figure 6 such as when the user brings the mop head down towards the floor after rinsing or pressing, the cam members 160 and 161 approach one and other until they abut as shown in figure 7 The cam members coact against each other such that the left hand body portion 102 is splayed away from the vertical so that the respective body portion are splayed apart one relative to the other In this way it is ensured that when the user requires the mop head to adopt the flat unfolded configuration the movement of the mop head down to the floor surface automatically splays the mop head body portions so that the only light further pressure on the mop head is necessary to re-engage the latch and return the mop head to its flat, working configuration. Prior art mops have mop head portions which fold for recharging or wringing of the mopping layer, but which do not splay as the stick approaches the vertical. This means that when the user attempts to return the mop head portions to a co-planar flat orientation the mop head portions must be manually splayed, or a great deal of pressure applied to the nearly vertically depending portions to force them to splay. In practice, and in order to prevent damage to delicate surfaces, such as wood, the stich is spun so that the mop head portions splay apart by centrifugal action. This is inconvenient for the user and tends to result in ejection of cleaning fluid from the mop. The present invention provides a mop head which overcomes these problems and is much more convenient to use. It will be evident to the person skilled in the art that there are many ways of arranging for the stick and mop head portions to co-act so that the mop head portions splay apart when the stick approaches the vertical. One example has been given in the foregoing, but it is within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims for other mechanisms which achieve the same effect to be used.

Claims: CLAIMS 1 A flat mop head (100) comprising a flat body (101 ) adapted to be attached to a mop stick via a universal joint (106,107,108,109,110) a fluid- absorbent mopping layer (120,121 ) to be located adjacent an underside of the body, and mopping layer attachment means (116,117130,133 134) for releasably attaching the mopping layer to the body with the mopping layer held extended between respective ends of the mop head, wherein said mop head is adapted to be foldable from - (i) a working configuration, in which respective foldable portions (102, 103) of the body are substantially co-planar for mopping of a surface, to (II) a folded configuration in which the foldable portions are folded such that respective underside portions of the body are moved towards one another thereby permitting the mopping layer (120,121 ) to fall away from the underside of the mop head for rinsing and/or pressing of the mopping layer or removal thereof from the mop head 2 A flat mop head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment means comprises an arrangement in which respective tongue portions (132) are hooked into associated pocket portions (133,134) to effect attachment between end regions of the body and corresponding end regions of the mopping layer, the arrangement being such that when the mop head is folded the mopping layer (120) can hang depending from the ends of the mop head and may be detached by manual unhooking of the attachment means (132,133,134) 3 A flat mop head as claimed in claim 2 wherein in the unfolded configuration the mopping layer is held taut between the respective end regions of the mop head with the associated tongue and pocket portions urged into inter-engagement 4 A flat mop head as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the attachment means comprises a rigid tongue (132) provided on an upper side of each foldable portion of the body, each of which tongues is directed generally inwardly of the body 5 An absorbent mopping layer suitable for use in the mop head of claim 4, which mopping layer is provided at each end thereof with a respective pocket (134, 133) having an opening facing generally inwardly of the mopping layer which pockets are suitable to be hooked over the tongues of the mop head when the mop head is in its folded configuration 6 A mopping layer as claimed in claim 5 and comprising a backing layer (120) which carries on an underside thereof an absorbent working material (122), and wherein the pockets are formed on respective backing layer extension portions (141 ,142) each extension portion formed at a respective end of the mopping layer, the arrangement being such that each extension portion may be folded around a respective end of the mop head body and hooked over the associated tongue portion to effect attachment of the mopping layer to the body portion 7 A mopping layer as claimed in claim 6 wherein the pockets each comprise a pouch (133,134) sewn into the respective backing layer extension portion 8 A mop head as claimed in claim 4 wherein the respective tongue portions are removably engaged with the body and wherein after removal of the tongues, end regions (1 14, 115) of the foldable body portions may be inserted into associated pockets (124,125) provided on an upper surface of an alternative mopping layer to be discarded after use, whereby the mop head is operable in two modes one in which the tongues are in place and the mopping layer remains attached for rinsing and pressing when in the folded configuration and another mode in which the alternative mopping layer tends to fall off the mop head body when in the folded configuration, thereby permitting easy discarding of the alternative mopping layer 9 A mop head as claimed in claim 8 wherein the tongues are each rendered removable by the resilient inter-engagement or disengagement of a barb and a corresponding lip over which the barb sits 10 A flat mop comprising a mop head as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 or 8 or 9 and having a mop stick (112) attached thereto, characterised in that in the folded configuration a portion (160) of the mop head body and a portion (161 ) of the mop stick are capable of co-acting directly or indirectly such that as the mop stick approaches a vertical orientation with the mop head depending therefrom the co-action splays the folded mop head body portions apart one (102) relative to the other (103) 1 1 A mop as claimed in claim 10 wherein when the stick is in the vertical orientation the co-action splays the folded mop head to produce from 25 to 50° separation between mop head folded portions 12 A mop as claimed in claim 10 or claim 1 1 wherein a rigid extension (153) of one of the foldable portions (102) extends beyond a hinge of that foldable portion (152) and towards and / or into the other foldable portion (103), whereby on folding the mop head body, the extension rotates about the hinge and approaches a lower end portion (1 1 1.161 ) of the mop stick for co-action therewith. 13. A mop as claimed in claim 12 wherein the lower end portion of the mop stick and the rigid extension are each provided with co-action surfaces (160,161 ) the arrangement being such that when the handle is generally horizontal the foldable portions may depend substantially vertically from the lower end of the handle and. as the stick is moved towards a vertical orientation, the co-acting surfaces contact against one another thereby forcing one foldable portion (102) of the folded mop head away from the other (103). 14. A mop as claimed in claim 13 wherein one or more of the co-acting surfaces is formed by a cam (161 or 160).

Inventors: DUNCAN CHRISTOPHER ROBERT, GAILES MICHAEL EDWARD, DUNCAN, CHRISTOPHER, ROBERT, GAILES, MICHAEL, EDWARD
Applicants: DUNCAN CHRISTOPHER ROBERT, GAILES MICHAEL EDWARD, NUMATIC INT LTD, DUNCAN, CHRISTOPHER, ROBERT, GAILES, MICHAEL, EDWARD, NUMATIC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A47L13
IPC codes: A47L13