EP0161232A2

EP0161232A2 - A method and device at cleaning utensils

Info

Publication number: EP0161232A2
Application number: EP85850156A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sten Relke
Original assignee: SAFAC
Current assignee: SAFAC
Priority date: 1984-05-08
Filing date: 1985-05-03
Publication date: 1985-11-13
Also published as: SE8402475L; SE453792B; SE8402475D0; EP0161232A3

Abstract

A method at cleaning by means of a cleaning utensil comprising a support means (1) of a member (2) operative at the cleaning and having a dirt collecting surface (3), which support means (1) is intended to be carried by a stick (4) via an articulate member (5). The metodh is characterized in that when the dirt collecting surface (3 of the member (2) operative at the cleaning is moved in a direction according to the arrow A along a floor surface (9), only a minor part thereof (see the Fig.) is in contact with the floor surface (9), and that a major portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) of the operative member (2) is in contact with the floor surface (9) when moved in an opposite direction along said floor surface (9). In this way an efficient collection of dirt particles located on the floor surface (9) is obtained at a reciprocating rectilinear movement. The invention also relates to a cleaning utensil enabling said method and this cleaning utensil is characterized in that the flexible region (6) of the articulate member (5) is located outside a region defined by the lateral edges of the dirt collecting surface (3 . Moreover, the articulate member (5) is so embodied that it will spring back to a neutral position when a certain outer influence by forces ceases. At this neutral position, which occurs at the direction of motion of the cleaning utensil opposite to the arrow A, the whole dirt collecting surface (3) bears against the floor surface (9). A stop means (7) restricts the deflection of the articulate member (5) from its neutral position at the direction of motion according to the arrow A.

Description

This invention relates to a method at cleaning by means of a cleaning utensil especially intended for cleaning of floor surfaces comprising a support means of a member operative at the cleaning and having a dirt collecting surface, said support means being intended to be carried by a stick. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method.
Several investigations have shown that persons who are occupied with cleaning work, often are stricken by work diseases of various kinds. Stress pains are dominating and occur above all in shoulders, neck and the lumbar region. One investigation has shown that the most usual cause of the troubles is floor cleaning carried out by means of so-called swabbing and mopping. In order that the best possible dirt collecting effect might be obtained at swabbing and mopping the dirt collecting surface of the cleaning utensil is usually moved along the floor in a motion pattern reminding of the figure 8. It has been found that this motion pattern is a strongly contributory reason for the stress pains mentioned above.
This invention provides a method at cleaning, in which a motion pattern more lenient to the cleaning operator's body can be used. The invention also offers a cleaning utensil for carrying out said method. Thus, it is the object of the invention to achieve a method and a device by means of which said troubles are mitigated, and this object is attained in that the method and the device show the characteristic features defined in the claims.
One advantage of the invention is that the dirt collecting surface of the cleaning utensil at cleaning need only be moved over the floor surface in a rectilinear reciprocating movement and that a very efficient collection of dirt particles lying on the floor is obtained despite this uncomplicated motion pattern. Another advantage of the invention is that the active part of the cleaning utensil collecting dirt particles can be wider than what has previously been considered practical and can thus at a sweeping movement sweep a larger area than before, and in spite of this the whole active part of the cleaning utensil can be immersed in one single moment e.g. in a usual scouring-pail filled with water and be rinsed. The liquid absorbed by the cleaning utensil at said rinsing can thereafter be removed by using a conventional so-called swab press or similar squeezing means. Moreover, a cleaning utensil according to the invention allows of good accessibility under furniture and the like without it being necessary to bend one's back to any great extent.
Illustrative examples of the invention will be described below in greater detail with reference to the enclosed drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 are lateral views of the cleaning utensil when moved in different directions along a floor surface. Fig.3 is a front view of the cleaning utensil. Fig.4 is a front view of the cleaning utensil in a position lifted from floor, Fig.S is a front view of the cleaning utensil in connection with rinsing liquid being pressed out, Fig.6 is a view from above of a section of the cleaning utensil, Fig.7 is a lateral view of the section according to Fig.6, Fig.8 is a view from above of the section of the cleaning utensil shown in Fig.6, which is now supplemented with a so-called yarn holder simultaneously as the stick of the cleaning utensil is in another turning position, Fig.9 is a lateral view of parts of the cleaning utensil in a non-assembled state, Fig. 10 is a view taken on the line X-X in Fig. 9 and Fig. 11 is a view taken on the line XI-XI in Fig.9.
The cleaning utensil comprises support means 1 of a member 2 with a dirt collecting surface 3 and operative at cleaning, which support means 1 is connected with a stick 4. Between the support means 1 and the stick 4 there is arranged an articulate member 5, and the flexible area 6 of the articulate means 5 is located outside a region defined by the lateral edges of the dirt collecting surface 3, as is apparent from Fig.l. A stop means 7 is oriented between the flexible area 6 of the articulate member 5 and the dirt collecting surface 3, the lower limiting surface 8 of said stop means 7 being located in another plane than the dirt collecting surface 3. The cleaning utensil is shown in Fig.1 in a cleaning moment where it is moved along a floor surface 9 in a direction shown by an arrow A. In Fig.2 the cleaning utensil is shown in a working moment where it is moved along the floor surface 9 in a direction opposite to the arrow A, which direction is shown by an arrow B.
The constructive build-up of the cleaning utensil will be described in greater detail in the following. This is done in the first place by means of the Figures 6 - 11.
The support means 1 comprises a connection means in the form of a block 11 which has four recesses 12. Moreover, it comprises two articulatedly arranged support means in the form of clamps 13, the end sections 14 of which project into said recesses 12. Thus, the clamps 13 are articulatedly connected with the block 11. Moreover, the block 11 has a recess 15 in which a pin 16 of the articulate member 5 is insertable. The pin 16 is locked axially relative to the block 11 by a locking means, e.g. in the form of a clamp 18, engaging an annular groove 17 of the pin 16. Thus, the pin 16 is axially fixed to the block 11, but it can be rotated relative to said block.
The articulate member 5 comprises two parts 19 and 20 articulatedly connected to each other. The part 19 has at one of its ends a pin 21, at which the stick 4 can be mounted. The part 19 has a tongue 22 at its other end and a shoulder 23 in its central area. The part 20 has at one of its ends a recess 24 corresponding to the tongue 22, and consequently the part 20 will have two tongues 25 at this end. Moreover, the part 20 has a shoulder 26. At its other end the part 20 has the aforesaid pin 16 and a bend 40 in its central area. Furthermore the part 20 has a stop means in the form of a downwardly projecting shoulder 7, the object of which will be explained later more in detail. The parts 19 and 20 are articulatedy connected to each other by means of a pin 27 extending through the tongues 25 and the tongue 22, and therefore a flexibility controlled in one direction is obtained between said two articulate parts. The flexible region 6 of the articulate member 5, i.e. the region of the parts 19 and 20 adjacent the tongues 25 and the tongue 22, is surrounded by an elastic means in the form of a spring 28, the end portions of which bear against the shoulders 23 and 26 of the articulate parts 19 and 20.Thanks to the spring 28 the articulate member 5 will return to the neutral position shown e.g. in Figures 2 and 9 when an outer force deflecting the joint ceases. The spring is in turn surrounded by a damask 29.
It will be appreciated that the articulate means 5 described above can be formed within the scope of the inventive idea in a plurality of different manners. The articulate member can for example be made of an elastic material, e.g. rubber. In order to get the flexibility of the articulate member at a desired place the cross section of the articulate member can be recuced where the flexible region of the articulate member is desired. Moreover, it is of course possible to reinforce the elastic material in a suitable way so that an appropriate stiffness and adequate resilient properties are obtained in the articulate member.
As to the embodiment of the stick it can of course be formed substantially in any way but it should be mentioned that it has proved to be advantageous to arrange a transverse handle atop the stick to facilitate pushing and turning movements.
The active portion 2 with the dirt collecting surface 3 can of course be embodied in many different ways. The active portion 2 shown in the Figures is built of two textile bags 30 which support the dirt collecting surface 3 on one of its sides, said surface thus connecting said textile bags 30 with each other. The dirt collecting surface 3 can consist of yarn, a cloth, a sponge or some other material with a good ability of collecting dirt particles, dust and liquid. When the support members 13 are in the position shown in Fig.5 the textile bags 30 of the active part 2 can be threaded onto the support means, after which the free edges of the textile bags can be connected with each other by tying together bands 31 connected with the free edges, as shown in Fig.8.
The function of the cleaning utensil will be explained in greater detail in the following, which is done in the first place by the aid of Figs. 1-5. When the stick is moved for- wards/downwards the flexible area 6 of the articulate member 5 is actuated to enter a position deviating from its neutral position, see Fig. 1, that is to say when the cleaning utensil is moved along the floor surface 9 in the direction of the arrow A an angular change of the articulate member 5 takes place, the size of which is restricted by the fact that the lower end 8 of the stop means 7 will bear against the floor surface 9. It is apparent from Fig.1 that the dirt collecting surface 3 is deflected from the floor surface 9 at the movement in the direction of the arrow A so that only the rear portion of the dirt collecting surface calculated in the direction of motion bears against the floor surface. Thus, dirt particles located on the floor surface 9 will be collected in the region below the dirt collecting surface 3. When the cleaning utensil is then drawn along the floor surface 9 towards oneself, i.e. in the direction of the arrow B (see Fig.2 ), the outer force ceases which produced deflection of the articulate member 5 from its neutral position at the off-movement. Thus, when the cleaning utensil is moved along the floor surface 9 in the direction of the arrow B the articulate means 5 will be in its neutral position, as shown in Fig.2. The whole dirt collecting surface 3 will then bear against the floor surface 9 and the dirt particles collected beneath the dirt collecting surface 3 at the direction of motion according to the arrow A will thus accompany the active portion 2 at its return movement in the direction of the arrow B. Thus, the cleaning utensil will be moved to and fro in the way described here and then collect the dirt particles lying on the floor surface without it being necessary to use any complicated motion pattern. Accordingly it is sufficient to move the cleaning utensil in rectilinear reciprocating movements.
When the dirt collecting surface has been saturated with dirt particles the cleaning utensil is lifted up from the floor surface, the support means 13 and the active portion 2 automatically falling down in the direction shown in Fig 4 with arrows C. The result of this is that the active portion 2 despite it great working width can be immersed in a relatively small pail filled with liquid in order to be rinsed therein. After this a pressing force can be applied to the surface 32, as shown in Fig.5, to press out the liquid colledted at rinsing from the dirt collecting surface 3. The cleaning utensil is now ready to be placed against a floor surface again to collect dirt particles.
Fig. 8 shows another property of the cleaning utensil according to the invention. By turning the stick 4 so that the pin 16 of the articulate member 5 is turned in the recess 15 of the connection means 11 an improved accessibility under furniture and the like is obtained without it being necessary to bend one's back to any great extent.
As to the stop means 7 it may be added that it is suitable to provide this at least on the surface 8 with a replaceable layer of e.g. scrubbing nylon (not shown). This layer can then be used at removal of stains from the floor surface 9 as a surface concentrated rubbing of the floor surface 9 with the stop means 7 can be achieved at pressing of the shaft 4 downwards and thus a very effective stain removal by means of the stop means can be performed. In normal use of the cleaning utensil the object of the stop means 7 should only restrict a possible excessive deflection of the dirt collecting surface 3 when the cleaning utensil is moved in the direction A, and thus the stop means 7 does normally not wear against the floor surface 9.
Of course the invention is not restricted to what has been shown and described but amendments and modifications thereof are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method at cleaning by means of a cleaning utensil, especially intended for cleaning of floor surfaces (9), comprising a support means (1) of a member (2) operative at the cleaning and having a dirt collecting surface (3), said support means (1) being intended to be carried by a stick (4), characterized in that only a minor portion of the dirt collecting surface (3 )of the member (2) operative at the cleaning is in contact with the floor surface (9) when moved along said floor surface in one direction, and that a major portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) of the operative member (2) is in contact with the floor surface (9) when moved along said floor surface (9) in an opposite direction.

2. The method of claim 'f, characterized in that the minor portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) being in contact with the floor surface (9) consists of a rear portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) as calculated in its then current direction of motion, and that the major portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) bearing against the floor surface (9) consists of said rear portion and a remaining portion of the dirt collecting surface (3) located behind said rear portion as calculated in its then current direction of motion.

3. Cleaning utensil especially intended for cleaning of floor surfaces (9) comprising a support means (1) of a member (2) operative at the cleaning and having a dirt collecting surface (3) , said support means (1) being intended to be carried by a stick (4), characterized i n that an articulate member (5) is arranged between the support means (1) and the stick (4) and that the flexible region (6) of the articulate member (5) is located outside a region defined by the lateral edges of the dirt collecting surface (3).

4. The cleaning utensil of claim 3, characterized i n that the articulate member (5) comprises an elastic means (28) which springs back to a neutral position when a certain outer influence by forces ceases.

5. The cleaning utensil of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the articulate member (5) is flexible about a shaft (27) which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centre shaft of the stick (4).

6. The cleaning utensil of claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the elastic member consists of a mechanical spring (28).

7. The cleaning utensil of any of claims 3-6, characterized in that a stop means (7) is arranged between the flexible region (6) of the articulate member (5) and the dirt collecting surface (3), the lower defining surface (8) of said stop means being located in another plane than the dirt collecting surface (3).

8. The cleaning utensil of any of claims 5-7, characterized in that a bearing (15, 16) is arranged between the articulate member (5) and the support means (1), which bearing is rotatable about a shaft substantially perpendicular to the shaft (27) about which the articulate member (5) is flexible.

9. The cleaning utensil of any of claims 3-8, characterized in that the support means (1) comprises two articulatedly arranged support means (13) for carrying the dirt collecting surface (3).

10. The cleaning utensil of claim 9, characterized in that each support means (13) is flexible about a shaft which is substantially perpendicular to the shaft (27) about which the articulate member (5) is flexible.