Abstract:
The invention relates to an automated process for sewing a mop head intermediate and a finished mop head. Specifically, the inventive process uses overlapping panels of fabric to create pockets into which any of a variety of mop handle assemblies may be inserted. These fabric strips are sewn longitudinally onto a tufted strip, after which the ends of each mop head unit are sewn to create pockets. A border strip of fringe is then secured around the perimeter of the mop head. The automated process results in increased production consistency, improved fabric utilization, and decreased production times.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to an automated process for sewing a mop head intermediate and a finished mop head and the products thereof. Specifically, the present process uses a number of overlapping panels of fabric to create pockets into which any of a variety of mop handle assemblies may be inserted. The automated process results in increased production consistency, improved fabric utilization, and decreased production times. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventional mops are formed from string and are secured to the mop handle in a permanent manner. Because this configuration presented some problems (such as laundering of the mop head and the relative lack of durability of the mop head as compared to the mop handle), mop producers began to produce mop heads and handle assemblies separately from one another. As a result, attachment means were developed to secure the mop head to the mop handle for cleaning purposes, while also allowing cleaning or replacement of the mop head itself. Some of these attachment means include fabric ties, hook and loop fasteners (i.e., Velcro®), snaps, and the like. 
     The separate mop handle assemblies themselves are often T-shaped, with the vertical part of the T comprising the handle portion held by the user and the horizontal part of the T comprising a cross-member that is attached to the mop head. There are primarily three types of mop handle assemblies: a break-away assembly, in which the cross-member is separate from the mop handle and collapses into a V-shape to facilitate attachment to the mop head; a spring-loaded assembly, which has an attached handle and a cross-member that collapses into a V-shape; and an “envelope”-style assembly, in which the cross-member is removed from the mop handle prior to attachment to the mop head. In the envelope-style assembly, the mop head is attached to the cross-member and the cross-member is then attached to the mop handle. 
     The present process is directed specifically to fringe mops. These mop heads have a floor side comprised of a tufted (or “fringed”) substrate and a face side to which a mop handle is attached. In most circumstances, fringe mop heads have fringe around the perimeter of the mop head and, in some cases, several pockets on the face side (that is, the side viewed by the user during the mopping process). The pockets provide means to attach a mop handle assembly to the mop head, by providing a space into which the respective ends of the mop handle&#39;s cross-member may be inserted. In many instances (as described above), the cross-member itself is collapsible to facilitate insertion into the mop head&#39;s pockets. 
     While these pockets are functionally useful, their creation has been problematic for mop head manufacturers. The manufacturer is forced to cut each piece of fabric used to create the pockets into appropriately sized individual units. Each individual fabric unit must be placed onto a predetermined location on the face side of the mop head. Each individual fabric unit must be sewn to the mop head. Finally, each mop head must be finished by sewing a strip of fringe to the perimeter of the mop head. 
     The center panel must be tacked to the mop head to prevent a mop handle from passing between the panel and the mop head. This is particularly a problem with the envelope-style handle assemblies discussed above. If the mop handle&#39;s cross-member passes beneath the center panel, then the attachment means used to connect the cross-member and the vertical member of the mop handle assembly is obstructed, rendering the mop handle assembly unusable without re-inserting the mop handle into the mop head. 
     The present process addresses several shortcomings of the conventional method. First, the present process automates the cutting and the sewing processes, producing greater consistency in manufacturing and in the final product. Secondly, the present process also reduces the amount of fabric that must be used and the amount of time that is required to produce a sewn mop head. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present process automates the cutting and sewing of pockets to the face side of a mop head, thereby creating a mop head intermediate product to which a perimeter strip of fringe may be attached to produce a finished mop head. The finished mop head is suitable for use with break-away, spring-loaded, and envelope-style handle assemblies. By automating the cutting and sewing of the mop head pockets, fabric and time utilization are decreased on a per-unit basis. In addition, greater consistency between individual mop head units is also created. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side-view representation of the automated cutting and sewing operations described herein; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic side-view representation of a plurality of fabric panels utilized in the present process to form pockets on the face side of a mop head; 
     FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the mop head intermediate produced by the present process; 
     FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the finished mop head produced by the present process; and 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the finished mop head of FIG. 4, as taken along Line  5 — 5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The term “wet mop” refers to an instrument that has an absorbent material attached to a shaft (i.e., a mop handle) that is designed for cleaning with a liquid solution or designed to absorb a liquid on contact. A sponge mop is one example of such an instrument. The term “dust mop” refers to an instrument designed for removing dust or other solid debris from a floor. The fringe mop of the present invention is one example of such a dust mop. 
     The term “mop head,” as referred to herein, shall refer to that part of a dust mop that contacts and cleans the floor during use. The mop head has a face side and a floor side, the face side being viewed by the user during use and the floor side being in contact with the floor. The face side has a number of pockets that are capable of receiving the respective ends of a mop handle assembly therein, and the floor side is tufted to resemble fringe. The perimeter of the finished mop head is bounded by a strip of fringe. 
     The term “mop head intermediate” refers to a mop head to which the perimeter strip of fringe has not been added. 
     The term “mop handle assembly” refers to a T-shaped instrument, with the vertical part of the T comprising the handle portion held by the user and the horizontal part of the T comprising a cross-member that is in contact with the mop head. The present process produces mop heads that are compatible for use with break-away, spring-loaded, and envelope-style mop handle assemblies. 
     Turning now to FIG. 1, a continuous strip  20  of tufted substrate is conveyed through a number of stations  2 ,  4 ,  6 , and  8 . Tufted strip  20  has a fringed floor side, which forms the cleaning surface of the finished mop head, and a face side to which pockets are sewn to facilitate attachment of the finished mop head to a mop handle assembly. Tufted strip  20  is preferably comprised either of 100% nylon or 100% cotton, although polyester or other fiber materials could also be used. In accordance with one embodiment, the nylon strip is dyed prior to entering station  2 . The preferred fringe length is about 1.5 inches, although the automated sewing process of the present invention could apply to other fringe lengths as well. 
     In station  2 , tufted strip  20  is unwound and threaded through a guide mechanism  40  with the fringed side positioned downward. Because tufted strip  20  is a continuous fringed strip, tufted strip  20  will create a plurality of individual mop head intermediates  58  (and subsequently, finished mop heads  60 ). 
     In station  4 , as shown in FIG. 1, three rolls of fabric  10 ,  12 , and  14  are used to created fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  that are positioned over tufted strip  20 . This process is automated based on settings that reflect the desired mop dimensions. Fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  are positioned in fully overlapping relationship to tufted strip  20  and in slightly overlapping relationship with one another. Such panel-to-panel overlap is typically on the order of 0.25 inches, although each panel could lap more area of an adjacent panel if so desired. Center panel  32  is consistently positioned beneath panels  30  and  34 . Fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  are then cut from fabric rolls  10 ,  12 , and  14  with a rotary blade or other cutting means known in the industry. 
     The longitudinal and lateral dimensions of fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  are identified in relation to the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of mop head  60 . As might be expected, the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  are dependent upon the desired finished dimensions of mop head  60 . Additionally, the longitudinal dimension of fabric panel  32 , which creates the center pocket, is dependent upon the average measured size of a mop handle&#39;s cross-member. The lateral dimension of panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  is substantially equivalent to lateral dimension of mop head  60 . Representative examples of such longitudinal dimensions are provided in Table 1 below, although the present process is equally well-suited for mop heads having other dimensions. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Longitudinal Dimensions 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Mop head 
                 Panel 30 
                 Panel 32 
                 Panel 34 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 14.5 inches 
                 4.75 inches 
                 5 inches 
                 6.25 inches 
               
               
                   
                 21.5 inches 
                 5.875 inches 
                 8.875 inches 
                 7.75 inches 
               
               
                   
                 23.5 inches 
                 6.5 inches 
                 10 inches 
                 7 inches 
               
               
                   
                 25.5 inches 
                 7 inches 
                 10 inches 
                 9.5 inches 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The dimensions of panel  34 , as listed in Table 1, include the entire dimension of panel  34  as it is positioned on tufted strip  20 . When lateral cuts are made in tufted strip  20  to produce individual units  56 , panel  34  is divided into sub-panels. The smaller sub-panel  34 ′ is identically sized regardless of the dimension of mop head  60 . One suitable longitudinal dimension for sub-panel  34 ′ has been found to be about 3.5 inches. Sub-panel  34 ′ needs to be long enough to prevent a mop handle assembly from disengaging mop head  60 , but not so long as to create difficulty in folding sub-panel  34 ′ over the mop handle assembly (as in the case of envelope-style mop handles). 
     Fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  are sewn longitudinally across the length of tufted strip  20 . Before being conveyed into station  6 , tufted strip  20  is stamped in two places along panels  32  and  30  with water-soluble ink. The ink markings are removed during a subsequent washing process, and, therefore, do not remain on finished mop head  60 . One marking is placed on panel  32  in what will be the center of mop head  60 , while the second marking is placed on panel  30  at a position laterally different than that of the center mark. The importance of the markings will become evident as described below. 
     In station  6 , tufted strip  20  is conveyed beneath a fiber optic reader  40  that is positioned in alignment with the center marking on panel  32 . Because of this alignment, fiber optic reader  40  is prevented from producing a false command based on a reading of the second marking. Fiber optic reader  40  controls the sewing process in the following way: optic reader  40  detects the first marking, tufted strip  20  is moved forward a predetermined distance based on desired mop dimensions, and center panel  32  is then bartacked laterally across the center of tufted strip  20 . 
     The term “bartack” refers to a stitch pattern that is used to produce a small area of stitches used to secure two fabric panels to one another. The bartack stitch used in one embodiment of the present invention has dimensions of approximately 0.5 inches long and 0.125 inches wide. The purpose of the bartack stitch is to prevent the cross-member of a mop handle assembly from slipping beneath center panel  32 . If this were to occur, then the mop handle cross-member and mop handle could not be attached to one another, without the inconvenience of reinserting the mop handle cross-member into mop head  60  for a second time. 
     In station  8 , a second fiber optic reader  50  is positioned in alignment with the second marking on panel  30 . After passing beneath optic reader  50 , tufted strip  20  is conveyed a predetermined distance, again based on desired mop dimensions, and is cut to the desired mop length. Cutting may be accomplished by any means known in the industry including rotary cutters. Once cut, a tufted strip unit  56  is created (see FIG.  2 ). Tufted strip unit  56  is a pre-cursor to mop head intermediate  58 , which is, in turn, a pre-cursor to mop head  60 . 
     One feature of the present process is the ability to continuously form a plurality of mop head intermediates  58 . This ability is due to the overlapping of fabric panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  onto tufted strip  20 , as illustrated in FIG.  2 . Center panel  32  is typically positioned first onto tufted strip  20 , thereby causing panel  32  to be overlapped by panels  30  and  34 . As the series of panels is repeated, panel  34  overlaps panel  30 . 
     The overlapping position of panels  30 ,  32 , and  34  does not coincide with the cutting of a length of tufted strip unit  56  (that is, tufted strip units  56  are not separated from one another along the edges of panels  30  or  34 ). Rather, the cutting of tufted strip unit  56  is through panel  34 , creating two sub-panels, the smaller of which is indicated in FIGS. 2 through 5 as  34 ′. Cut lines  70  are indicated in FIG. 2 by dashed vertical lines. 
     The lateral (cut) ends of tufted strip unit  56  are then sewn to complete the pockets from sub-panels  34  and  34 ′ into which a mop head assembly will be inserted. The creation of functional pockets at either end of tufted strip unit  56  produces a mop head intermediate  58 , as shown in FIG.  3 . Mop head intermediate  58  lacks the perimeter strip of fringe used to create finished mop head  60 . 
     A final step in the completion of a finished mop head unit  60 , is the sewing of a strip of fringe  62  around the perimeter of mop head intermediate  58 . Perimeter fringe  62  improves the cleaning efficiency of mop head  60 . FIG. 4 shows a complete mop head  60 . Fringe  62  is sewn around the perimeter of mop head intermediate  58 . The composition and length of fringe  62  is in accordance with the fringe that comprises tufted strip  20  (for example, for a dyed nylon mop head, the fringe is made of dyed nylon and has a length of about 1.5 inches). 
     FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of mop head  60  as taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . This view indicates the relative position of each of panels  30  and  32  and sub-panels  34  and  34 ′. Panel  32  is positioned in the center area of mop head  60  and is overlapped by panel  30  and sub-panel  34 . Sub-panel  34 ′ results from the cutting of panel  34  as previously described. FIG. 5 illustrates that sub-panels  34  and  34 ′ are attached to either end of mop head  60  to create pockets into which a mop handle assembly is inserted and in which the mop handle assembly is held. 
     To attach mop head  60  to a break-away or spring-loaded mop handle assembly, the cross-member is collapsed, and the respective ends of the cross-member are positioned into the pockets created by sub-panels  34  and  34 ′. The cross-member is positioned above panel  32  and beneath panel  30  and sub-panels  34  and  34 ′. This positioning allows the collapsible cross-member to be attached to the mop handle without difficulty. It also secures the mop handle assembly during use. For these mop handle styles, it would be possible to attach a mop head that uses only two fabric panels, where the second panel is cut and sewn to create fabric pockets. 
     For envelope-style mop handle assemblies, the cross-member is removed from the mop handle and is pushed into mop head  60 . The cross-member is inserted between sub-panel  34 ′ and panel  30  and then is pushed under panel  30 , over panel  32 , and then into the pocket created by sub-panel  34 . Sub-panel  34 ′ is returned to its original position (overlapping panel  30 ) to secure the cross-member and prevent it from sliding out of its position in mop head  60 . As with the previously mentioned mop handle styles, the cross-member can then be attached to the mop handle. For this style of mop handle assembly, the three-panel mop head of the present process is required. 
     By automating a process previously performed manually, the present invention provides a more efficient method of producing mop heads. Less time and less fabric are required. There is greater consistency between individual mop head units. For these reasons, the present process is believed to represent an advancement of the prior art.