Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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MOP HEAD SECUREMENT DEVICE
Background of the Invention
The present application relates to a device for
operatively securing a wet mop head at the distal end of an
elongated mop handle. More particularly, it relates to a mop
head securement device that conveniently and effectively
secures mop head in an operative position, and that allows for
convenient selective removal of a used mop head as desired.
Prior devices for retaining wet mop heads are
disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,553,282; 4,287,632; and,
5,724,696. The devices described in the aforementioned U.S.
Patents have been found to be deficient for a wide variety of
reasons. For example, none of these prior devices allow a user
to maintain a firm and secure grip on a mop handle extending
therefrom, while at the same time allowing the user to open
the mop head retainer using one hand. Therefore, these prior
devices are not well-suited for allowing a user to keep one of
his/her hands free for manipulation of the mop head, itself,
or for other activities.
Another deficiency associated with the mop head
retainers disclosed in the '632 and '696 patents is that
destructive forces are exerted on the "release member," i.e.,
the deformable member upon which a user pushes downward
(either by hand or by a pressure bar) to open the mop head
retainer. Over even a short time, these forces applied to the
release member cause it to separate from the remainder of the
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mop head retainer. Once this occurs, the mop head retainer is
rendered ineffective.
Another deficiency associated with prior mop head
retaining devices is their failure to secure the mop head
against movement after prolonged periods of use. Of course,
once the mop head moves out of its operative position, its
effectiveness is greatly diminished.
In light of these deficiencies and others associated
with conventional mop head retaining devices, there has been
found a need for a new and improved device for operatively
securing a wet mop head that is effective, easy and convenient
to use, and durable.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the present invention, a new and
improved mop head securement device is provided.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present
invention, a mop head securement device includes a shank
adapted for receipt of a mop handle. An upper jaw projects
outwardly from the shank and a lower jaw member is pivotally
connected to the first end of the upper jaw member. An
opposite end of the lower jaw defines a lower latch member.
A lever arm is arranged generally transverse and connected to
the second end of the upper jaw member. The lever arm has a
first portion depending from the upper jaw member toward the
lower jaw member, and a second portion extending upwardly away
from the lower jaw member. The first portion of the lever arm
defines an upper latch member adapted for selective engagement
with the lower latch member of the lower jaw. The lever arm
is manually movable between a latched position, where the
upper latch member is positioned to engage the lower latch
member, and an unlatched position. The lower jaw member is
movable between: (i) a closed, mop head retaining position
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wherein the upper and lower latch members are engaged with
each other and the lower jaw member is placed in space
parallel relation to the upper jaw member so that a mop head
retaining space is defined between the upper and lower jaw
members; and, (ii) an open position wherein the upper and
lower latch members are disengaged and the lower jaw member is
pivoted away from the upper jaw member.
One advantage of the present invention is the
provision of a new and improved mop head securement device.
Another advantage of the present invention resides
in the provision of a mop head securement device that secures
an associated mop head in the preferred operative position,
even after periods of extended use.
A further advantage of the present invention is
found in the provision of a mop head securement device that is
adapted for convenient one-handed operation in a "trigger
like" fashion so that a user is able to use a free hand to
remove a used mop head from and/or to install a new mop head
in the mop head securement device.
Still another advantage of the present invention is
the provision of a new and improved mop head securement device
that is resistant to inadvertent opening upon contact with
furniture and other objects during use.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is
found in the provision of a mop head securement device that
locks in a latched position to prevent accidental opening of
the device.
According to additional aspects of the invention,
there is provided: a mop head securement device comprising: a
shank adapted for connection to a mop handle at an upper shank
end; an upper jaw member projecting outwardly from said shank,
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said upper jaw member having opposite first and second ends; a
lower jaw member having a first end and an opposite second end
that includes a lower latch member; a lever arm connected to
the upper jaw member and having a first portion depending
toward the lower jaw member and a second portion extending
upwardly away from the lower jaw member, said first portion of
said lever arm defining an upper latch member adapted for
selective engagement with said lower latch member of said
lower jaw, said lever arm manually movable between a latched
position, wherein said upper latch member is positioned to
engage said lower latch member, and an unlatched position,
said lower jaw member movable between: (i) a closed, mop head
retaining position wherein said upper and lower latch members
are engaged with each other and said lower jaw member is
placed in spaced relation to the upper jaw member so that a
mop head retaining space is defined between the upper and
lower jaw members; and, (ii) an open position wherein said
upper and lower latch members are disengaged and said lower
jaw member is pivoted away from said upper jaw member; and, a
resilient biasing member operatively associated with said
lever arm for urging said lever arm into said latched
position.
A mop head retainer comprising: a shank; an
upper jaw member connected to said shank, said upper jaw
member having opposite first and second ends; a lower jaw
member having a first end and an opposite second end that,
includes a lower latch member; a lever arm connected to the
upper jaw member and having a first portion depending from the
upper jaw member toward the lower jaw member, and a second
portion extending upwardly away from the lower jaw member,
said first portion of said lever arm including an upper latch
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member adapted for selective engagement with said lower latch
member of said lower jaw, said lever arm manually movable
between a latched position, wherein said upper latch member is
positioned to engage said lower latch member, and an unlatched
position, wherein said lower jaw member is movable between a
closed, mop head retaining position and an open position, at
least one of said upper and lower jaw members defining wavy
mop head gripping formations and teeth projecting outwardly
therefrom, said teeth and wavy formations cooperating to
fixedly secure an associated mop head in a mop head retaining
space defined between said upper and lower jaw members when
said lower jaw member is placed in its closed, mop head
retaining position.
Still other benefits and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art upon reading and understanding this application in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention takes form from various components and
arrangements of components, preferred embodiments of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form a part
hereof and wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view, with a portion
broken away, of a mop head securement device formed in
accordance with the present invention, wherein the device is
in a mop head retaining position;
FIGURE 2 illustrates the device of FIGURE 1 shown in
its open position, with the lever arm in its unlatched
position;
FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the device of FIGURE
1;
FIGURE 4 is a right side elevational view of the
device shown in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of
FIGURE 1; and,
FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of an
alternative embodiment of the present invention in its open
position.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings
are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the
invention and not for limiting same, FIGURES 1-5 depict a mop
head securement device 10 formed in accordance with the
present invention from molded polypropylene or another
suitable conventional plastic or other material. The device
10 includes a hollow shank 12 defining a bore adapted to
receive a mop handle at an open upper end 14, and the mop
handle is secured therein by conventional means. First and
second cross members 20a,20b project outwardly from opposite
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locations of the lowermost end of the shank 12. Together, the
cross members 20a,20b define a generally horizontally
extending upper jaw 30 having teeth 32 projecting downwardly
therefrom. The upper jaw 30 has opposite first and second
5 outermost ends 34,36.
The first end 34 of the upper jaw 30 is
interconnected to an upper portion of the shank 12 by a brace
22. A lower jaw member 40, including upwardly projecting
teeth 42, is pivotally connected at its first end 44 to a
depending portion 24 of the upper jaw 30 at the jaw first end
34 by way of a hinge 26, that may be a conventional hinge or
a living hinge.
A lever arm 50 is connected to the upper jaw second
end 36 by means of a living hinge 80. A first, lowermost end
52 of the lever arm 50 extends downwardly beyond the upper jaw
30 and includes or defines a first or upper latch member 54a.
A mating lower latch member 54b is included on or defined by
a second end 46 of the lower jaw 40. Thus, the second end 46
(Fig. 2) of the lower jaw is selectively connected to the
depending portion 52 of the lever arm 50 by means of the
mating latch members 54a,54b to provide a mop head retaining
position (FIGURE 1) for the device 10. In this mop head
retaining position, the upper and lower jaws 30,40 are
arranged generally parallel and spaced-apart so that a mop
head receiving space S is defined therebetween. The head of
a wet mop such as a yarn-type or other type of wet mop is
secured in the space S (Fig. 1) and prevented from movement
relative to the device 10 by the teeth 32,42. The upper and
lower jaws 30,40 preferable include or define wavy regions or
projections 48 which further grip a mop head placed between
the jaws 30,40.
The lever arm 50 also includes a second, upwardly
extending portion defined by a first leg 56 projecting above
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the jaw second end 36, preferably generally perpendicular to
the upper jaw member 30. This upwardly extending leg 56 is
connected to a second leg 58 that extends inwardly toward the
shank 12 and upwardly away from the upper jaw member 30.
S Finally, a generally upwardly extending third leg defines a
trigger portion 60 at the second end of the lever arm 50 that
lies sufficiently close to the shank 12 to be operated with
one hand as described below. The trigger portion 60 is
preferably contoured to provide an ergonomic surface for being
gripped by a user as described below. The lever arm 50 is not
connected to and does not extend from the shank 12.
A locking tab 70 is hingedly connected to the
uppermost second end of the lever arm 50 and pivots along an
arc C between a locked position (FIGURE 1), wherein an end 72
thereof lies adjacent and/or abuts the shank 12 (or a mop
handle inserted in the shank) and prevents inward movement of
the lever arm 50 toward the shank 12, and an unlocked position
(FIGURE 2), wherein the end 72 is moved out of abutment or
adjacency with the shank 12 so that the lever arm 50 is
selectively moveable toward the shank 12. The shank 12
preferably includes a notch N defined therein to receive the
locking tab 70 when the tab is placed in the locked position
of FIGURE 1. The notch N (Fig. 3) acts to support the locking
tab 70 in this position and also prevents lateral or
"sideways" movement of the tab and lever arm 50 as can result
in breakage of the arm 50. Opposite the end 72, the end 73 of
the tab 70 abuts the trigger portion 60 of the lever arm 50 to
define the unlocked position shown in FIGURE 2.
The living hinge 80 is defined in the upper jaw 30,
near the second end 36. The living hinge 80 facilitates
pivotal movement of the lever arm 50 relative to the upper jaw
30 on an arc B so that the latch member 54a is selectively
moved away from and out of engagement with the latch member
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54b on the end 46 of the lower j aw 40 . The lever arm 50
pivots along the arc B from the latched position (FIGURE 1) to
the unlatched position (FIGURE 2).
With particular reference to FIGURE 2, when the
lever arm 50 is in the unlatched position, the lower jaw 40 is
allowed to pivot away from the upper jaw 30 along an arc A to
define an open position of the device 10. In this open
position, a yarn-type mop or other mop head is able to be
placed in or removed from the space S between the jaws 30,40.
A biasing member 90 is positioned between the
upwardly extending vertical section 56 of the lever arm 50 and
the shank 12 and biases the lever arm 50 into the latched
position. When the trigger portion 60 of the lever arm 50 is
moved toward the shank 12 to unlatch the members 54a,54b, the
biasing member 90 temporarily deforms as shown in FIGURE 2.
Upon pressure being released from the trigger portion 60 of
the lever 50, the biasing member 90 returns to its extended
state to urge the lever arm 50 into the latched position of
FIGURE 1.
For installation of an associated mop head, the tab
70 is moved to the unlocked position (FIGURE 2) and the
trigger portion 60 of the lever arm 50 is moved inwardly
toward the shank 12, preferably by being squeezed in a one-
handed manner by a user. This, then, pivots the lower portion
52 of the arm 50 outward along the arc B so that the latch
members 54a,54b are disengaged. This allows the jaw 40 to
pivot away from the jaw 30 along the arc A. A mop head is
then placed in the space S and the lower jaw 40 is pivoted
along the arc A into the mop head retaining position (FIGURE
1) so that the latch members 54a,54b engage. The wavy
portions 48 of both jaws 30,40 and teeth 32,42 grippingly
engage the mop head. The biasing member 90 maintains the
lever arm 50 in its latched position and, consequently, the
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device l0 is in its mop head retaining position. The tab 70
is then pivoted into the locked position (FIGURE 1) so that
inadvertent inward movement of the trigger portion 60 of the
lever arm 50 is prevented. Removal of an associated mop head
from the device 10 is carried out by pivoting the tab 70 to
its unlocked position, squeezing the trigger portion 60 of the
lever arm 50 toward the shank 12, and moving the lower jaw
member 40 away from the upper jaw member 30 along the arc A.
Once the device 10 is in its open position, an associated mop
head is freely removed therefrom.
FIGURE 6 illustrates a mop head securement device
10' formed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the
present invention. Except as shown and described herein, the
device 10' is similar in all respects to the device 10.
Consequently, like components relative to the device 10 are
identified with like reference numerals/letters.
Specifically, the device 10' is identical in all respects to
the device 10, except that the device 10' includes a shortened
shank 12' so that the trigger portion 60' of the lever arm 50'
extends substantially above the open upper end 14' of the
shank 12', and the first end 34' of the upper jaw 30' is self
supporting rather than braced to the shank 12'. Furthermore,
the trigger portion 60' of the lever arm 50' does not include
a locking tab. Finally, the hinge 26' is preferably a living
hinge as shown.
The invention has been described with reference to
a preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and
alterations will occur to others upon reading and
understanding the preceding specification. It is intended
that the invention be construed as including all such
modifications and alterations.