EP1335658A1

EP1335658A1 - Floor mop

Info

Publication number: EP1335658A1
Application number: EP01997245A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gernot M. Hirse
Original assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
Current assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
Priority date: 2000-11-24
Filing date: 2001-11-23
Publication date: 2003-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-23
Also published as: DE50112200D1; US7469441B2; ES2281464T3; ATE356575T1; WO2002041744A1; CN1206957C; HK1059722A1; CN1481226A; AU2002221891A1; CA2429640A1; EP1335658B1; CA2429640C; US20040060140A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor mop comprising two articulated mop-carrier blades (5) that are connected to a common central support piece (3) and carry an absorbent mop surface (6). A mop handle (1) is attached to the central support piece (3) in an articulated manner by means of a universal joint (2). A non-rotational sliding wringer (9) that can be displaced along the handle (1) has two rigid wringing arms (11), whose ends (11a) can be brought into contact with a respective guide surface (17) on the rear side of each attached mop-carrier blade (5) by means of rollers (12). Each mop-carrier blade (5) forms a right-angled trapezium or triangle. The edges running at right-angles to the hinge edge of each mop carrier blade (5) form a common rectilinear, continuous front edge.

Description

Bodenwischer

The invention relates to a floor wiper with two mop support wings that are articulated to a wiper handle and that have an absorbent wiping surface and with a squeeze slide that can be moved along the wiper handle and that have two rigid squeeze arms, the ends of which can be brought into engagement with a guide surface on the rear of the associated mop support wing.

Floor wipers with two mop carrier wings that can be folded against one another for pressing out the wiping covering, also referred to as butterfly floor wipers, are known in different embodiments. In the case of the floor wipers according to US Pat. No. 5,483,720 and PCT / US95 / 10759, a sleeve which can be displaced along the wiper handle is connected via a handlebar to two brackets which are pivotably mounted on the carrier center piece and which slide along the rear of the two mop carrier wings when the sleeve is displaced and press them together. The wiper handle must be rigidly connected to the carrier center piece. The use of the floor wiper is limited by this rigid connection, because only a certain inclined position of the wiper handle relative to the mop support wings is specified in their working position.

In another known floor mop of the type mentioned at the outset, the ends of the squeeze arms rigidly connected to the squeeze slide are each connected via a link to the back of each mop carrier wing. If the squeeze slide on the wiper handle is moved down, the two handlebars act as articulated Struts that press the two mop carrier wings against each other to squeeze out the wiping surface in between. Here, too, the angular position of the wiper handle in relation to the mop support wings is predetermined in the working position, so that the possible uses are restricted.

In a known floor wiper (US-A-5 625 918), the wiper handle is rigidly connected to a carrier center piece of a triangular-shaped carrier plate, the two side parts of which form foldable mop carrier wings. For pressing out, a wire bracket is folded down, which acts on the two mop support wings via two squeezing rollers. The pressing forces that can be achieved are therefore only relatively low. The mop holder has a protruding corner on its front side and can therefore only be guided along one straight floor boundary with one of its sloping side edges.

In another known floor wiper (US Pat. No. 3,224,025), the wiper handle is connected in an articulated manner to the two mop support wings that are pivotally connected to one another. The squeeze slide consists of a sleeve which can be moved along the wiper handle and is longitudinally slotted in its lower section, into which the two mop support wings are pulled in the folded state. The two sleeve parts separated from one another by the longitudinal slot each act via a roller on a guide surface on the rear of the respectively assigned mop support wing. Because of the direct articulated connection of the two mop support wings and the small mutual distance between the two rollers, the squeezing process is very difficult, at least initially. Here, too, the mop support surface has a projecting corner on its front side, so that it can be moved along oblique side edges along a straight floor boundary. In known floor wipers (DE 42 22 948 A1) the mop support wings are rectangular. The water level in the cleaning bucket required for rinsing out the mop must at least be selected so that the rectangular mop support wings, which are usually inserted at an angle into the cleaning bucket for ergonomic reasons, are completely immersed in the cleaning water. In the case of rectangular mop support wings, this minimum height of the cleaning water is relatively high, so that a relatively large amount of water has to be provided in the cleaning bucket, so that the cleaning bucket is heavy.

The maximum force required for pressing out the mop is essentially determined by the swivel torque required for swiveling the mop support wings at the end of the swivel movement. The surface areas furthest away from the swivel axis make the greatest contribution to the squeezing moment, since these furthest away surface areas each engage with the largest lever arm. Therefore, lever ratios must be provided in the squeezing devices in order to apply the necessary squeezing torque at the end of the squeezing movement.

The object of the invention is therefore to design a floor wiper of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that it is easy to handle and easy to squeeze out and manages with a lower level of cleaning water.

This object is achieved in that the handle is articulated to a support center piece on which the two mop support wings are pivotally mounted with a hinge edge, that each mop support wing forms a right-angled trapezoid or triangle, the larger base line of which forms the hinge edge, and that the two The edges of the mop support wings running at right angles to the hinge edge form a common straight, continuous front edge of the floor wiper. Each mop carrier wing is thus wider at its hinge edge than at its edge opposite the hinge edge. Compared to a rectangular mop support wing, its width and therefore its area also decreases with increasing distance from the swivel axis at the hinge edge. This reduces those surface areas that attack with a larger lever arm. In this way, the required maximum squeezing torque is also reduced, so that the mop can be squeezed out with less force. Working with the floor mop is therefore less strenuous.

The inclined arrangement of one side edge and thus the deviation from a rectangular surface of the mop support wing means that a lower water level is required for a complete immersion of the mop in the cleaning water. With the total area of the mop remaining the same, its immersion depth is reduced when the floor mop is usually held at an angle for ergonomic reasons. With the same water depth, a wider cleaning strip results with the same effort.

The smaller width at the ends of the two mop support wings also means that the floor wiper can be inserted more easily into narrow corners and gaps, so that a more thorough cleaning effect is achieved even in areas of the floor surface to be cleaned which are difficult to access. Obstacles on the ground can be avoided more easily.

Each mop support wing preferably forms a right-angled trapezoid, the larger base line of which forms the hinge edge. In its spread-out position on the floor, the mop therefore has a continuous front edge containing the two right-angled side edges and two narrower ends, which can eventually become a corner, so that each mop support wing forms a triangle. The continuous straight front edge of the floor wiper makes it possible to bring it up to a straight boundary edge of the floor to be wiped which runs transversely to the working direction.

The squeezing attack by means of sufficiently stable squeezing arms, which are arranged at a sufficient mutual distance, on the mop carrier wings articulated on the middle part of the carrier results in a thorough squeezing without the force to be used being too high at the beginning of the squeezing process.

The wiper handle is expediently connected to the carrier center piece via a universal joint and the ends of the squeezing arms can each be brought into engagement with a guide surface on the rear side of the respectively assigned mop carrier wing. The squeeze slide is' non-rotatably guided on the wiper handle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the guide surface of each mop carrier wing rises in the direction of the free plate end to an elevation protruding from this rear side of the mop carrier wing. As a result, at the end of the squeezing out movement, the mop support wings are pressed together more firmly and finally.

The guide surface on the side of the elevation facing the free end of the plate preferably descends towards the mop support wing. This ensures that the force to be applied to the squeeze slide drops after the elevations have been exceeded at the end of the squeeze-out process and thus gives the user a clear sign that the squeeze-out process has been completed and completed. Further advantageous embodiments of the inventive concept are the subject of further subclaims. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated below, which are shown in the drawing. It shows:

1 shows a floor mop in a side view in its working position,

2 the floor wiper according to FIG. 1 at the beginning of the squeezing process,

3 shows the floor wiper according to FIGS. 1 and 2 at the end of the squeezing process,

4 shows the floor wiper according to FIGS. 1-3 in a working position with an angled wiper handle,

5 is a plan view in the direction of arrow V in Fig. 1, with the wiper handle and the squeeze slide are omitted,

6a) -d) partial representations of different embodiments of the rolling bodies or the curved pressure surface at the end of a pressing arm,

7 shows a section along the line Vll-Vll in Fig. 5,

8 is a simplified partial illustration of a modified embodiment of the rolling body at the end of the squeezing arm,

9, 10 and 11 different floor plans of the floor mop each in representations similar to FIG. 5,

Fig. 12, 13 and 14 different embodiments of the rolling elements and their treads and Fig. 15 shows the arrangement of the floor mop in a bucket.

The floor wiper shown in FIGS. 1-5 has a wiper handle 1, which is non-rotatably connected via a universal joint 2 to a carrier center piece 3, but is pivotable on all sides. The carrier center piece 3 is connected to a mop carrier wing 5 via hinges 4 attached on both sides.

The two mop carrier wings 5 and the carrier center piece 3 carry an absorbent, squeezable wiping covering 6, which consists in a conventional manner of a sponge layer 7 and a pile cover 8.

A squeeze slide 9 can be moved along the wiper handle 1. The squeeze slide 9 has a guide sleeve 10, which is guided on the wiper handle 1 in a non-rotatable, longitudinally displaceable manner. For example, a longitudinal groove 10a is provided in the bore of the sleeve 10, into which a pin 1a attached to the wiper handle 1 engages.

The sleeve 10 is rigidly connected to two squeezing arms 11, which in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5 each carry a rotatably mounted roller 12 at their ends 11a as a rotatable roller body.

6 shows that the roller 12 is mounted on an axle 13 which can be attached to the extrusion arm 11 on both sides (FIG. 6a) or on one side (FIG. 6b). Instead, it is also possible (FIG. 6c) to provide a ball 15 rotatably received in a recess 14 at the end 11a of the pressing arm 11 as the rolling body. Another possible alternative is that the end 11a of each ejection arm 11 has a convexly curved pressure surface 16 (FIG. 6d).

When the squeeze pusher 9 is moved down to initiate a squeeze-out operation on the wiper handle 7, the rollers 12 (or in comparable way, the ball 15 or the curved pressure surface 16) engages with a respective guide surface 17 on the rear side of the respectively assigned mop support wings 5. As a result, the two mop support wings 5 are pivoted against one another, as is shown in FIG. 2 at the beginning of the squeezing process. For better guidance of the rollers 12, the ball 15 or the pressure surface 16, the guide surface 17 can each have a flat longitudinal groove 17a (FIG. 7, 13 or 14) with a concave cross section.

The two guide surfaces 17 on the rear side of each mop carrier wing 5 rise in the direction of the free wing end 5a to an elevation 17b which protrudes from the rear of the mop carrier wing 5 and drops again towards the free wing end 5a.

At the end of the squeezing process, which is shown in FIG. 3, the rollers 12 have reached these elevations 17b, as a result of which the two mop support wings 5 are folded against one another in their outermost squeezing position. It can be provided that the rollers 12 slightly exceed the elevations 17b, so that a drop in the feed force to be exerted on the squeezing slide 9 gives the user a feeling that the end point of the squeezing process has been exceeded.

From this squeezing position (FIG. 3), the squeezing slide 9 is pulled back into its starting position. Here, the two mop carrier wings 5 are moved into their extended position by a spring device, for example a leg spring 18 (FIG. 5), the legs of which are connected to the mop carrier wings 5. The hinges of the mop carrier wings 5 are designed such that the mop carrier wings 5 cannot be folded up beyond their straight orientation.

4 shows that the squeeze slide 9 can be moved back so far that the two rollers 12 release the mop carrier wings 5 so far, that these can also be pivoted sufficiently to the side, as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows a further modified embodiment, in which the rolling body on the extrusion arm 11 is a circumferentially provided with recesses 19 wheel 20 which engages with at least one projection 21 or 22 on the back of the mop support wing 5 at the end of the squeezing process.

Each of the two mop support wings 5 forms a right-angled trapezoid. The hinge edge 5b forms the larger base line of the trapezoid. A rear edge 5e of each mop carrier wing 5 extends at an acute angle to the hinge edge 5e, which forms the hinge 4, and is inclined to the front edge 5chin, which extends at a right angle to the hinge edge 5b4.

The free edge 5a of each mop support wing 5 opposite the hinge edge 5b thus forms the smaller baseline of the trapezoid. Each mop support wing 5 is considerably narrower in the area of its free edge 5a than in the area of its hinge edge 4. The edge 5a can also be reduced to a point so that the outline surface of the mop support wing 5 forms a triangle (FIG. 11). With a slight increase in the required pressure, this results in a further substantial increase in the wiping width without increasing the immersion depth.

The two edges 5c of the mop support wings 5 running at right angles to the hinge edge 5b form a common straight, continuous front edge 5d of the floor wiper.

In comparison to a floor mop with rectangular mop support wings, the floor mop shown with angled rear edge 5e manages with a lower water level in the cleaning bucket. The immersion depth of the Floor wiper is less in the case of the usual inclined position shown in FIG. 15 than in the case of rectangular mop support wings.

In FIG. 9 it is shown that the distance b of the point of application of the squeezing arm 11 on the guide surface 17 from the hinge edge 5b is at least equal to the width a of the carrier center piece 3.

The distance b of the point of application of the squeezing arm 11 from the hinge edge 5b is at least 1/5 of the width c of the mop support wing 5.

The wiper handle 1 engages in the longitudinal center of the carrier center piece 3. Instead, the wiper handle 1 can also be offset from the longitudinal center of the carrier center piece 3 to the front edge 5d. The oblique rear edge 5e of each mop support wing 5 forms an angle α of 50 ° -70 ° with the hinge edge 5b.

The roller 12 can have a circumferential groove which runs on the bead-shaped guide surface 17 (FIG. 12). In the case of a channel-shaped guide surface 17 (FIG. 13), the ball 15 of the extrusion arm 11 can run on the longitudinal edges of the channel. A disk-shaped rolling body 12 (FIG. 14) can roll on the bottom of a channel-shaped guide surface 17.

Claims

claims

1. Floor mop with two mop carrier wings (5) connected in an articulated manner with a wiper handle (1) and carrying an absorbent wiping surface (6) and with a squeeze slide (9) which can be displaced along the mop handle (1) and has two rigid squeeze arms (11), the ends of each can be brought into engagement with a guide surface (17) on the rear of the respectively assigned mop support wing (5), characterized in that the handle (1) is connected in an articulated manner to a support center piece (3) on which the two

Mop support wings (5) with a hinge edge (5b) are pivoted so that each mop support wing (5) forms a right-angled trapezoid or triangle, the larger base line of which forms the hinge edge (5b), and that the two edges (at right angles to the hinge edge (5b)) 5c) the mop support wing (5) form a common straight, continuous front edge (5d) of the floor wiper.

2. Floor wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the wiper handle (1) via a universal joint (2) with the carrier center piece

(3) and that the ends (11 a) of the squeeze arms (11) can each be brought into engagement with a guide surface (17) on the rear of the respectively assigned mop support wing (5), and that the squeeze slide (9) cannot be rotated on the wiper handle (1) is performed.

3. Floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the two mop support wings (5) are moved into their extended position by a spring device (18).

4. Floor wiper according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide surface (17) of each mop support wing (5) towards free wing end (5a) rises to an elevation (17b) protruding from the rear of the mop support wings (5).

5. Floor wiper according to claim 4, characterized in that the guide surface (17) on the free plate end (5a) facing

Side of the survey (17b) to. Mop carrier wing (5) falls off.

6. Floor wiper according to claim 2, characterized in that the end (11a) of each extrusion arm (11) carries a rotatable roller body (12, 15, 20).

7. Floor wiper according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a roller (12) rotatably mounted on the extrusion arm (11).

8. Floor wiper according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a rotatably received in a recess (14) of the squeezing arm (11) ball (15).

9. Floor wiper according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a circumferentially provided with depressions (19) wheel (20) which engages with at least one projection (21, 22) on the back of the mop support wing (5).

10. Floor wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the end (11 a) of each squeezing arm (11) is convex

Has printing surface (16).

11. Floor wiper according to claim 6 or 10, characterized in that the guide surface (17) has a concave flat longitudinal groove (17a) in cross section.

12. Floor wiper according to claim 2, characterized in that the distance (b) of the point of application of the squeeze arm (11) on the guide surface (17) from the hinge edge (5b) is at least equal to the width (a) of the carrier center piece (3).

5

13. Floor wiper according to claim 2, characterized in that the distance (b) of the point of application of the extrusion arm (11) from the hinge edge (5b) is at least 1/5 the width (c) of the mop support wing (5). 0

14. Floor wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the wiper handle (1) engages in the longitudinal center of the carrier center piece (3).

15. Floor wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the 5 wiper handle (1) from the longitudinal center of the carrier center piece (3) to

Front edge (5d) is offset.

16. Floor wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the oblique rear edge (5e) of each mop support wing (5) with the o hinge edge (5b) forms an angle (α) of 50 ° -70 °.