Abstract:
A sprayer assembly that includes a reservoir for storing liquid, a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir, first and second supply tubes in fluid communication with the pump wherein the pump is configured to draw liquid from the reservoir and discharge the liquid into the first and second supply tubes, a first nozzle in fluid communication with the first supply tube, a second nozzle in fluid communication with the second supply tube, and a collar having at least one protrusion and rotatable between a first position in which the at least one protrusion pinches closed the first supply tube but not the second supply tube, and a second position in which the at least one protrusion pinches closed the second supply tube but not the first supply tube.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/546,911, filed Oct. 13, 2011, and which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a spray mop, and more particularly to a spray mop in which the pattern of spray dispensed can vary. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Remotely activated sprayers are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,432,472, 5,368,202, 6,976,644 and 7,040,510 disclose mounting spray devices on one end of a shaft and remotely activating the spray device from the other end of the shaft. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,472 discloses a buffer at the distal end of the shaft, along with a chain connected thereto that extends to the proximate end of the shaft for operating the spray device remotely. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,368,202, 6,976,644 and 7,040,510 disclose a trigger lever at the proximal end (i.e. user&#39;s handle end) of the shaft, which when activated (moved) by the user causes the spray device at the other end of the pole to emit a liquid spray. The use of such trigger levers to remotely trigger a spray device at the other end of the shaft which also contains a cleaning device such as a broom or mop is also known (i.e. spray mop). 
         [0004]    One issue with conventional spray mops is the user&#39;s need to control the pattern of spray emitted by the spray device each time the lever is activated. For some applications, the user may wish to use a narrow, focused pattern. For other applications, the user may wish to use a wide, dispersed pattern. For still other applications, the user may wish to use both. Conventional spray devices include a pattern adjustment, but they typically utilize a single nozzle (with adjustments made to that single nozzle), with mixed results in terms of quality of spray pattern, reliability, ease of use, and ease of manufacture. 
         [0005]    There is a need for a convenient adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pattern of liquid that is released by the spray device, which is reliable, easy to use, and easy to manufacture. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The aforementioned problems and needs are addressed by a sprayer assembly that includes a reservoir for storing liquid, a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir, first and second supply tubes in fluid communication with the pump wherein the pump is configured to draw liquid from the reservoir and discharge the liquid into the first and second supply tubes, a first nozzle in fluid communication with the first supply tube, a second nozzle in fluid communication with the second supply tube, and a collar having at least one protrusion and rotatable between a first position in which the at least one protrusion pinches closed the first supply tube but not the second supply tube, and a second position in which the at least one protrusion pinches closed the second supply tube but not the first supply tube. 
         [0007]    In another aspect of the present invention, a sprayer assembly includes a reservoir for storing liquid, a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir, an output tube in fluid communication with the pump wherein the pump is configured to draw liquid from the reservoir and discharge the liquid into the output tube, first and second supply tubes in fluid communication with the output tube, a first nozzle in fluid communication with the first supply tube, a second nozzle in fluid communication with the second supply tube, and a collar having first and second protrusions and rotatable between a first position in which the first protrusion pinches closed the first supply tube, and a second position in which the second protrusion pinches closed the second supply tube. 
         [0008]    Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent by a review of the specification, claims and appended figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the spray mop. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for high volume spray. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for low volume spray. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3A  is a side view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for high volume spray. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for low volume spray. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for high volume spray. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a side view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for high volume spray. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for low volume spray. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5B  is a side view of the interior of the handle assembly, with the rod positioned on the engagement surface for low volume spray. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the interior of the spray device assembly. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the rotatable collar. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of the rotatable collar, support block and supply tubes. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a rear view of the rotatable collar and support block. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of the rotatable collar, support block and supply tubes. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a rear view of the rotatable collar and support block. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a partial rear view of the rotatable collar. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 13-14  are front views of the rotatable collar and spray nozzles. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    The present invention is a spray mop, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The spray mop includes a shaft  12  terminating at a proximal end with a handle assembly  14  and at a distal end with a cleaning element  16 . A spray device assembly  18  is mounted to the shaft  12  closer to the distal end of shaft  12 . 
         [0027]    The handle assembly  14  include a lever  20  that is rotatable (i.e. by a user) about a pivot point  22 , as best illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . The lever  20  includes multiple concave engagement surfaces  24  (two such surfaces  24   a  and  24   b  illustrated in the figures). A rod  26  is slidably mounted in shaft  12 , and selectively engages with engagement surfaces  24   a / 24   b . When the user rotates lever  20 , the lever  20  pushes on rod  26 , causing rod  26  to slide toward the distal end of shaft  12  (to operate the spray device assembly as described below). 
         [0028]    The handle assembly  14  includes a mode control knob  28  that dictates the amount of longitudinal movement the rod  26  experiences as the user rotates lever  20  through its full range of motion (and thus dictates the volume of liquid sprayed during a single operation of the lever). Specifically, the mode control knob  28  controls the position of engagement of the rod  26  on the lever  20  (i.e. which concave engagement surface  24   a / 24   b  is engaged with rod  26 ). The mode control knob  28  has a cam surface  30  that engages with the side surface of rod  26 . When the control knob  28  is rotated, the cam surface transversely moves the proximal end of rod  26  between engagement surface  24   a  and engagement surface  24   b.  With the mode control knob  28  rotated to its low spray volume position (see  FIGS. 2B ,  3 B,  5 A,  5 B), the proximal end of the rod  26  is positioned on engagement surface  24   a,  which is closer to pivot point  22  and thus results in a smaller longitudinal displacement of the rod  26  (for a smaller volume of spray) as the lever  20  is moved through its range of motion. With the mode control knob  28  rotated to its high spray volume position (see  FIGS. 2A ,  3 A,  4 A,  4 B), the proximal end of the rod  26  is positioned on the engagement surface  24   b,  which is further away from pivot point  22  and thus results in a greater longitudinal displacement of the rod  26  (for a greater volume of spray) as the lever  20  is moved through the same range of motion. 
         [0029]    The distal end of rod  26  is aligned to and operates a pump  32  as it is longitudinally moved by lever  20 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . Pump  32  includes a plunger  33  that, when compressed by the longitudinal movement of rod  26 , draws liquid from a reservoir  34  via intake tube  36 , and discharges the liquid into output tube  38 . The amount of liquid discharged is a function of the displacement of the pump plunger (and therefore a function of the movement of rod  26 ). The discharged liquid is delivered to discharge jets as described below that spray liquid from assembly  18  and to the area being cleaned. 
         [0030]    The liquid is consistently and continually discharged by pump  18  (and therefore consistently and continually sprayed from assembly  18 ) throughout the entire travel of the lever  20 . However, the volume of liquid discharged and sprayed through that single activation of the lever  20  can be varied by operating the mode control knob  28  without changing the fact that liquid is being continuously sprayed (i.e. the amount of lever arm travel need not be changed, just the rate/volume of liquid being sprayed during the travel). Additionally, the amount of spray volume can be adjusted at the handle assembly  14 , instead of down at the sprayer device assembly, which is convenient for the user. While the preferred embodiment includes two positions of the rod engagement on the handle lever as dictated by the mode control knob (i.e. two concave engagement surfaces  24   a / 24   b ), there could be more than two positions if desired. 
         [0031]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a one-way valve  40  is disposed along output tube  38 . Output tube  38  then divides into or is coupled to two separate supply tubes  42  and  44  each made of soft compressible tubing. The supply tubes  42 / 44  each terminate at a spray nozzle  46  or  48 . Spray nozzles  46  and  48  have spray patterns that differ from each other (e.g. narrow stream and horizontally extending spray). While the preferred embodiment has two supply tubes and two nozzles, more than two supply tubes and nozzles can be used. 
         [0032]    While both supply tubes  42 / 44  are pressurized with liquid by the operation of pump  32 , the operation of nozzles  46 / 48  can be selectively blocked. Specifically, a rotatable collar  50  is used to selective pinch and occlude one of the supply tubes  42 / 44 , thereby selecting the other supply line and associated nozzle for use. Therefore, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , supply tube  44  is pinched by collar  50 , thereby preventing liquid from reaching nozzle  48 . With the collar rotational position of  FIG. 6 , liquid only dispenses from nozzle  46  when pump  32  is operated. 
         [0033]    The collar  50  is best illustrated in  FIG. 7 . It contains two inwardly facing tube compression protrusions  52  and  54 , which selectively pinch closed the supply tubes  42 / 44 . In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the collar  50  is rotated to a first rotational position so that protrusion  52  pinches closed the supply tube  44  (i.e. against a rounded compression surface  56  of a support block  58  adjacent the supply tube  44 ). In this first rotation position, the liquid from pump  32  is supplied only to nozzle  46  of supply tube  42 . In  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the collar  50  is rotated to a second rotation position so that protrusion  54  pinches closed the supply tube  42  (i.e. against a rounded compression surface  60  of support block  58  adjacent the supply tube  42 ). In this second rotation position, the liquid from the pump  32  is supplied only to nozzle  46  of supply tube  44 . 
         [0034]    In a preferred embodiment as shown in  FIG. 12 , each tube compression protrusion  52 / 54  includes a straight leading edge  62  that terminates in a rounded end  64  (that matches the rounded shape of the corresponding rounded compression surface  56 / 60  of the support block  58 ). The rounded end  64  extends out slightly from the leading edge  62  and toward the supply tube  42 / 44  that it will pinch. It has been discovered that this shape is ideal for effectively pinching and sealing the supply tube  42 / 44  without dislodging or otherwise damaging the supply tube. Bumps  66  can also extend from the collar as shown in  FIG. 12 , where the bumps  66  engage complementary notches, holes or channels to provide tactile feedback to the user that the collar  50  is properly positioned to pinch closed the desired supply tube. 
         [0035]      FIGS. 13 and 14  illustrate the two preferred nozzle types. The upper nozzle  48  has a narrow opening for creating a narrow output stream. The lower nozzle  46  has an elongated opening for creating a horizontally elongated output stream. Collar  50  can include a tab  68  extending therefrom to assist the user in rotating the collar  50 , and for visually indicating the rotational position of the collar  50 . Collar  50  is preferably rotatably supported by or connected to support block  50 . However, collar  50  could alternately be rotatably supported by or connected to housing  19  of spray device assembly  18 . 
         [0036]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described above and illustrated herein, but encompasses any and all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims. For example, references to the present invention herein are not intended to limit the scope of any claim or claim term, but instead merely make reference to one or more features that may be covered by one or more of the claims. Materials, processes and numerical examples described above are exemplary only, and should not be deemed to limit the claims. A single protrusion can be used instead of two protrusions  52 / 54  to selectively pinch tubes  42 / 44 . In the case of a single protrusion, or in the case with the proper spacing between protrusions  52 / 54 , the user could rotate the collar to an intermediate rotation position (between the first and second rotation positions), where neither supply tube  42 / 44  is pinched, and thus both nozzles  46 / 48  can be operated simultaneously to provide two streams at the same time. Lastly, while two nozzles, two supply lines and two rotational positions are shown and described above, it is within the scope of the present invention to include three or more nozzles, supply lines and collar rotational positions.