Patent ID: 8286295

Claim:
A cleaning tool assembly comprising: a removably mounted cleaning implement, said cleaning implement including a cleaning element mounted to a fitment, said fitment extending from the cleaning element; an elongated maneuvering wand having a handle portion and a distal implement attachment end thereof, said attachment end defining a wand opening into a cavity of said wand, and said wand opening being formed and dimensioned for insertion of the fitment therein; an expandable gripping mechanism disposed in said cavity, and adapted for movement between a gripping position, releasably gripping the fitment through the wand opening, and a release position, expanding the gripping mechanism by an amount sufficient to enable release of the fitment therefrom, said gripping mechanism configured to retain said fitment therein with a retention force; and a release device including a manual actuation device mounted to the handle portion, and adapted for manual movement between a disengaged condition and an engaged condition, slideably engaging the gripping mechanism for expansion thereof toward the release position, wherein said gripping mechanism and said release device being configured to interactively cooperate to substantially minimize frictional drag therebetween in a manner such that a release force, at the actuation device, required to move the release device from the disengaged condition to the engaged condition, and thus, the gripping mechanism from the gripping position to the release position, is less than the retention force of the gripping mechanism.