Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This application relates to an improved design
for the construction and function of a mop. In particular,
it relates to a mop construction which will allow greater
flexibility for the user and will permit the use of removable
fabric swabs.
While mops of various kinds have been known for
many years, they commonly incorporate a handle attached to
a frame desi~ned to stretch a swab of fabrlc material with
some degree of pivoting of the handle relative to the frame.
However, some of -these involve a design in which it is
difficult to remove the fabric part for cleaning or replace-
ment.
Others have a limited degree of pivot so that
only one side of the fabric swab can be used.
It is therefore the purpose of this invention
to provide a mop which has advantages in both its construct-
ion and function. Principally, it is the purpose of this
invention to provide a mop in which the frame supporting
the swab is pivotal relative to the handle through a
cornplete revolution.
It is the further purpose of this invention to
provide a mop in which the frame comprises two wings, each
of which will receive a pocket shaped swab capable of being
removed for replacement for cleaning or for use as a hand
mop.
It is the further purpose of this invention to
provide a mop in which both sides of the fabric swab mounted
on the frame can be employed at the option of the user.
The present invention is designed to achieve
t:hese advantages and improvements by providing a mop with
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an elongated handle, a frame, comprising a pair of wings
extending outwardly la-terally from said handle, and means at
one end of said handle for attaching said handle to said
frame, said attaching means includiny a first pivotal connect
ion wi-th a pivotal axis perpendicular to the axis of said
handle, and a second pivotal connection with a pivotal axis
perpendicular to said first pivotal connection and perpendicular
to the axis of said handle, -the wings of said frame beiny
designed to extend from said second pivotal connection in a
plane parallel to said second pivotal axis, and swab means
receivable on said frame. The wing elements of said frame
are located, except for the second pivotal connection, entirely
laterally of said handle so as to permit the complete 360
rotation of .said handle relative to said frame. The frame
members comprise a pair of elongated members bent in a zigzag
fashion, which are flexibly compressible and resiliently
expandable to permit replacement of a pocket shaped swab
thereon and to effec-tively stretch the pocket shaped swab to
its full dimensionsO
The design and function of the present invention
may be better understood by reference to the following
description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference
to the drawlngs in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an assembled mop in accord-
ance with the present invention;
Figure 2 illus-trates the configuration of the
frame and the pivotal connection thereof
to the handle of a mop in accordance with
that illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment; and
Figure ~ illus-trates an alternative application
of the invention;
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The mop illustrated in Figure 1 has an elongated
handle 2 wi-th a lower end 4 connec-ted to the remain~er of .the
structure.
The lower end oE the handle is connected by a
type of unlversal joint illustrated generally a-t 6 to a
frame comprising a pair of wi.ngs 8 and 10 respectively
(which frame is best illustrated in Figure 2).
The universal joint 6 comprises a firs-t pivotal
connection 12 comprising a pin 14 which passes through the
end of the handle and the extending po.rtion of a ~ushing 16.
The axis of the pin (and therefore the axis of the pivot)
is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
The universal joint connection also co-mprises a
second pivotal joint shown generally at 18 comprising a pin
20 which passes through the bushing 16 and is pivotal
relative thereto about an axis perpendicular to both the
axis of the handle and the axis of ~he pin 14.
Thus it will be realized that by virtue of the
comblned relative movement of the two pivotal connections
12 and 18, the pin 20 may be moved to any angular position
or attitude relative to the axis of the handle.
The frame members 8 and 10 previously referred
to are connected to the ends of the pin 20, as seen at 22
and 24 respectively, and comprise two wings, each of which
is composed of an elongated member 26 and 28 respectviely
bent or folded in the shape of a "W" extending in a plane
parallel to the axis of the pin 20. The bent frame elements
26 and 28 may he made of steel or o-ther resilien-t material
which is fle~ibly compressible and resiliently expandable.
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The inner legs of the frame ex-tend laterally and
diverge away from the pins 20 and 22 respectively and terminate
in a bend which forms the outer legs which extend inwardly
and diverge towards the connection with the lower end of the
handle.
The mop of the illustrated preferred ernhodiment
is completed by a pair of swabs 30 and 32 illustrated in
Figure 1.
The swabs are constructed of a fabric stitched
in a pocket shape having two sides and connected or stitched
along three of their edges but opened alony~the edge adjacent
to the handle and connected~ to allow -the insertion of the
respective wings of the frames 8 and 10 respectively into
the pocket.
Ideally, the swabs have a covering of some
absorbent material such as cotton fibres to provide dust or
water absorbency.
The pockets and the frames of the mop are designed
so that when the pockets are inserted over the wings of the
frame the elements 26 and 28 must be somewhat compressed
and when inserted serve by virtue of their resiliency to
stretch the pocket out to its full dimension. This not only
serves to keep the swabs firmly held on the frame but also
keeps the pocket stretched to its full dimension and provides
a flat surface with which to work.
Although economy and ease of production dictate
that it is preferable that the frame elements 26 and 28 be
sufficiently resilient to provide their own expansive
force, it is conceivable and within the concept of the present
invention that resilient spring~like elements might be inser-ted
be-tween the legs of the "W" shaped frame elements -to provide
additional stretching force.
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I-t will be readily appreciated that the illustrated
embodimen-t of -the invention provides a mop with a rather broad
cleaning surface comprised of the two swabs 30 and 32 which
can be used to sweep the area of a floor or a wall by rneans
of the handle 2.
By virtue of the universal double pivotal
connection 6 the mop can be made to sweep flat over any
surface regardless of the direction of the handle held by the
user.
Furthermore, because of the na-ture of the connect-
ion 6 with the pin 20 capable of revolution through more than
360, the mop swabs can be turned over and used on either
surface or on each surface in succession. This gives the user
a much greater flexibility in the cleaning operation and
allows a much longer extended use of the mop before -the swabs
need to be cleaned, dried or replaced.
This feature also allows for a more efficient
cleaning operation in that one side can be used -to scrub a
wet surface while the other side may be used to dry the surface.
Alternatively, one side may be used to remove heavy dirt while
the other side is used to polish a relatively clean surface.
The mop of this design has one additional advantage
in that the swabs 30 and 32 may be easily removed or replaced
on the frame without any complicated mechanical operations
and without undoing any screws or bolts.
In addition the swabs 30 and 32 may be removed by
the operator and used as hand mops for smaller surfaces by
simply inserting the user's hand in the pocket like a mit.
Thus a mop of the present invention like the
illustra-ted embodiment may be employed in a variety of ways
with considerable ease and versatility by the user. Further-
more, the construction of the mop permits relatively easy
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and expensive manufac-ture and fabrication while p:r.ovidiny
advan-tages not found in the prior art.
Fiyu.re 3 illus-tra-tes an alternative ernbodirnent
in which the resiliently flexible mernbers 26 and 23 are
augmented by springs such as ~0 which reinforce the outward
pressure exerted on the swabs if design and preference re~uired.
Flgure 4 illustrates an additional advantage to the
invention, in that the swabs may be removed from the frame and
employed as a cleaning mitt on the hand of the user.
It will, of course, be realized that certain
modifications and variations to the preferred and illustrated
embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive
concep-t herein.
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