Patent Publication Number: US-2009235476-A1

Title: Mop For Use on Baseboards and the Like

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to mops, and more particularly to an improved mop for cleaning vertical baseboards, and the like. 
     2. Discussion of Related Art 
     In my previous patent pertaining to mops, U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,746, issued on Dec. 3, 2002, I teach a novel mop that has flexible ends for cleaning vertical surfaces such as baseboards or wall surfaces, particularly under cabinets and other difficult-to-reach areas. This type of device is well-suited for use on low-friction floors surfaces, such as tile, linoleum, wood, vinyl, and the like. However, using a mop over a high-friction surface such as a carpet, even if the horizontal portion of the mop is dry, is difficult because the carpet tends to snag the sponge cleaning head of the mop. Further, having a damp or wet mop head is vital to proper cleaning of baseboards, yet it is not desirable to have such a damp or wet mop head contact a carpeted surface. 
     While there are cleaning brushes and implements suitable for use in cleaning baseboards and associated vertical surfaces directly, there are no such devices that are combined in one unit with a floor-cleaning mop. Thus, there is a need for a cleaning device that can clean both low-friction floor surfaces as well as baseboards, the baseboards being either adjacent low-friction or high-friction floor surfaces. Such a needed invention would be relatively inexpensive, easy to configure and use, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present device is a cleaning implement for cleaning a vertical surface adjacent both a high-friction horizontal floor surface, such as a carpet, or a low-friction horizontal floor surface, such as a vinyl or wood floor. A cleaning head comprises a base, the top surface of which includes a handle attachment means, such as a conventional mop handle receiving screw thread. At least one wing is pivotally fixed to the cleaning head, and each wing is pivotable between a substantially horizontal orientation and a substantially vertical orientation. 
     A glide pad is selectively and removably fixed around substantially the entire bottom surface of the cleaning head. The glide pad includes a cleaning head attachment means adapted to selectively hold the glide pad to the cleaning head, and is further adapted for selective releasable attachment to the cleaning implement in a stowed position while not in use on the high-friction horizontal floor surface. The bottom surface of the glide pad includes a low-friction surface for sliding on the high-friction horizontal floor surface. 
     In use, with a distal end of an elongated handle fixed to the handle attachment means, the cleaning head may be used to clean the low-friction horizontal floor surface, while one of the at least one wings may be used to clean the vertical surface adjacent thereto. With the glide pad fixed around substantially the entire bottom surface of the cleaning head, which facilitates moving the cleaning implement over the high-friction horizontal floor surface, one of the at least one wings may be used to clean the vertical surface adjacent thereto. 
     The present invention is a cleaning implement that can clean both low-friction floor surfaces as well as baseboards, such baseboards being either adjacent low-friction or high-friction floor surfaces. The present invention is relatively inexpensive, easy to configure and use, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of the invention, illustrated with one wing of the invention in a vertical orientation and with a glide pad in a stowed position on a mop handle; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the invention, illustrated with the glide pad fixed around a cleaning head of the mop; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the glide pad of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the glide pad of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of an alternate embodiment of the glide pad of the invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the invention, taken generally along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a cleaning implement  10  for cleaning a vertical surface  15  adjacent both a high-friction horizontal floor surface  16 , such as a carpet, or a low-friction horizontal floor surface  17 , such as a vinyl or wood floor. 
     A cleaning head  20  comprises a base  30  that has a top surface  36 , a bottom surface  34 , and at least one peripheral edge  35  that connects the top and bottom surfaces  36 , 34 . The top surface  36  includes a handle attachment means  40 , such as a conventional mop handle receiving screw thread (not shown). 
     At least one wing  50 , and preferable two wings  50 , are each pivotally fixed to the cleaning head  20  proximate the at least one peripheral edge  35  thereof. Each wing  50  has a top surface  56 , a bottom surface  54 , and at least one peripheral edge  55  connecting the top and bottom surfaces  56 , 54 . The bottom surface  54  of each wing  50  is pivotable between a substantially horizontal orientation  60  and a substantially vertical orientation  70  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). 
     A preferably water-impermeable glide pad  80  is selectively and removably fixed around substantially the entire bottom surface  34  of the cleaning head  20 . The glide pad  80  has a top surface  86 , a bottom surface  84 , and at least one peripheral edge  85  connecting the top and bottom surfaces  86 , 84 . The glide pad  80  includes a cleaning head attachment means  90  adapted to selectively hold the glide pad  80  to the cleaning head  20 . Such a cleaning head attachment means  90  may be a mechanical snap means  120  ( FIGS. 2 ,  5 , and  6 ), or a flexible strap  130  adapted to fit around the top surface  36  of the cleaning head  20  ( FIG. 4 ). Clearly other attachment means  90  could be incorporated in the present invention, provided such means  90  allows for selective fixing of the glide pad  80  to the cleaning head  20 . Preferably the attachment means  90  releases the cleaning head  20  when a predetermined amount of separating force is applied either between the glide pad  80  and the cleaning head  20  or to a release section  140  of the glide pad  80  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ). 
     The cleaning head attachment means  90  may be further adapted for selective releasable attachment to a storage plate  95  ( FIG. 1 ) of the cleaning implement  10 , the storage plate  95  fixed to the elongated handle  110 , for example. The storage plate  95  may include apertures  96  or notches (not shown) aligned with the cleaning head attachment means  90  of the glide pad  80  so as to provide a means for holding the glide pad  80  in a stowed position  150  on the cleaning implement  10  while not in use on the high-friction horizontal floor surface  17 . 
     The attachment means  90  preferably does not require a user to make contact with the bottom surface  34  of the cleaning head  20  directly, or with the top surface  86  of the glide pad  80  after removing the glide pad  80  from the cleaning head  20 , as such surfaces  34 , 86  may be unsanitary after use of the cleaning implement  10 . 
     The bottom surface  84  of the glide pad  80  includes a low-friction surface  100  for sliding on the high-friction horizontal floor surface  17 , such as a rigid plastic surface. As such, the glide pad  80  may be injection molded out of a suitably rigid plastic material, such as ABS plastic, or the like. Preferably the glide pad  80  overhangs the bottom surface  34  of the cleaning head  20  when attached thereto ( FIG. 2 ). 
     In use, with a distal end  114  of an elongated handle  110  fixed to the handle attachment means  40 , the cleaning head  20  may be used to clean the low-friction horizontal floor surface  16 , while one of the at least one wings  50  may be used to clean the vertical surface  15  adjacent thereto. With the glide pad  80  fixed around substantially the entire bottom surface  34  of the cleaning head  20 , which facilitating moving the cleaning implement  10  over the high-friction horizontal floor surface  16 , one of the at least one wings  50  may be used to clean the vertical surface  15  adjacent thereto. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the cleaning head  20  and wings  50  form a mop head  21  that further includes at least one scrubbing implement  160 , such as a sponge, as the bottom surface  34  of the cleaning head  20  and, optionally, the bottom surface  54  of each wing  50 . Further, the wings  50  may include a release button (not shown) that allows the user to release the wings  50  from the cleaning head  20  by stepping thereon, similar in operation to the release section  140  of the glide pad  80  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ). 
     In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the cleaning head  20  is a vacuum attachment  170 , and the handle attachment means  40  is a conduit  180  having a vacuum attachment means  190  ( FIG. 7 ). In such an embodiment the bottom surfaces  34 , 54  of the cleaning head  20  and each wing  50  are in fluid communication with the conduit  180 , such that a vacuum hose  200  of a vacuum cleaner  210  may be inserted and retained therein. As such, the high-friction floor surface  16  may be vacuumed with the glide pad  80  in the stowed position  150 . With the glide pad  80  fixed around the bottom of the vacuum attachment  170 , the floor surface  16  is not vacuumed and each wing  50  may be used to clean the vertical surface  15 . 
     While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various shapes of cleaning heads and glide pads may be utilized with the invention. Further, the type of cleaning head attachment means  90  may vary based on the shape or characteristics of the cleaning head. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.