EP1335658B1 - Floor mop - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor mop has two mop supporting wings, which carry an absorbent mop layer and are hinge-connected to a common supporting centerpiece. A mop handle is hinge-mounted to the supporting centerpiece via a Cardan joint. A squeezing slider, which is displaceable along the mop handle and is guided non-rotatably, has two rigid squeezing arms whose ends can each be brought into engagement with a guide surface on the upper side of the respectively assigned mop supporting wings via rollers. Each mop supporting wing forms a rectangular trapezium or triangle. The edges running at right angles to the hinge edge of each mop supporting wing form a common straight continuous front edge.

Description

The invention relates to a floor wiper with two pivotally connected to a wiper handle, an absorbent mop pad supporting Moppträgerflügeln and with a sliding along the wiper handle extrusion press with two rigid Auspressarmen whose ends are each engageable with a guide surface on the back of each associated Moppträgerflügels.

Floor wiper with two for pressing the squeegee against each other folding Moppträgerflügeln, also referred to as butterfly floor wiper, are known in different embodiments. In the floor wipers according to US Pat. No. 5,483,720 and PCT / US95 / 10759, a sleeve which is displaceable along the wiper handle is connected via a link to two brackets which are pivotably mounted on the support center piece and slide along the rear side of the two mop support wings when the sleeve is displaced and compress them. However, the wiper handle must be rigidly connected to the support centerpiece. Through this rigid connection, the possibility of using the floor wiper is limited, because only a certain inclination of the wiper handle relative to the Moppträgerflügeln is specified in its working position.

In another known floor wiper of the type mentioned, the ends of the extrusion presses rigidly connected to the extrusion arms are connected via a respective handlebar with the back of each Moppträgerflügels. If the squeegee is moved downwards on the wiper handle, the two handlebars act as articulated Struts that press the two Moppträgerflügel against each other to squeeze the intervening mop. Here, too, the angular position of the wiper handle is predetermined in relation to the Moppträgerflügeln in the working position, so that the applications are limited.

In a known floor wiper (US Pat. No. 5,625,918), the wiper handle is rigidly connected to a support center piece of a triangular-shaped support plate whose two side parts form hinged mop support wings. For pressing a wire clip is folded down, which acts via two Auspressrollen on the two Moppträgerflügel. The achievable extrusion forces are therefore only relatively low. The mop carrier has on its front side a projecting corner and can therefore only be guided with one of its oblique side edges along a straight bottom boundary.

In another known floor wiper (US Pat. No. 3,224,025), the wiper handle is pivotally connected to the two mop carrier wings which are pivotally connected to one another directly. The Auspressschieber consists of a slidable along the wiper handle, longitudinally slotted sleeve in its lower portion, in which the two Moppträgerflügel be pulled in the folded state. The two sleeve parts which are separated from one another by the longitudinal slot act in each case via a roller on a guide surface on the rear side of the respective associated mop carrier wing. However, because of the immediate articulated connection of the two mop carrier wings and the small mutual distance of the two rollers Auspressvorgang is very difficult, at least at the beginning. Again, the mop support surface on its front side a projecting corner, so that it can be moved with sloping side edges along a straight bottom boundary.

In known floor wipers (DE 42 22 948 A1), the Moppträgerflügel are designed rectangular. The required water level in the cleaning bucket for rinsing the mop must be at least chosen so that the rectangular Moppträgerflügel, which are usually introduced obliquely for ergonomic reasons in the bucket, completely immersed in the cleaning water. For rectangular Moppträgerflügeln this minimum height of the cleaning water is relatively high, so that a relatively large amount of water in the bucket must be provided so that the bucket is heavy.

The maximum force required for the squeezing of the mop is essentially determined by the required for the pivoting of Moppträgerflügel pivoting moment at the end of the pivoting movement. Here, the areas furthest away from the pivot axis contribute the most to the squeezing moment, since they attack the farthest surface areas each with the largest lever arm. Therefore leverage ratios must be provided in the squeezing devices in order to apply the required squeezing moment at the end of the squeezing movement.

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

This object is achieved in that the handle stem is pivotally connected to a support center piece on which the two Moppträgerflügel are pivotally mounted with a hinge edge, that each Moppträgerflügel forms a right angle trapezoid or triangle whose larger base line forms the hinge edge, and that the two perpendicular to the hinge edge extending edges of Moppträgerflügel 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 carrier wing therefore reduces its width and thus its area with increasing distance from the pivot axis at the hinge edge. Thus, those areas are reduced, which attack with a larger lever arm. In this way, the required maximum Auspressmoment is reduced, so that the squeezing of the mop can be done with less force. Working with the floor wiper is therefore less exhausting.

The inclined arrangement of the one side edge and thus the deviation from a rectangular surface of the Moppträgerflügels means that for a complete immersion of the mop in the cleaning water a lower water level is required. With a constant total area of the mop, its depth of immersion is reduced in the usually oblique ergonomic reasons attitude of the floor wiper. At the same depth of water results in a wider cleaning strip with the same force.

The smaller width at the ends of the two mop support wings also makes it easier to insert the floor wiper into narrow corners and gaps so that a more thorough cleaning effect is achieved even in difficult to reach areas of the floor surface to be cleaned. Obstacles on the ground can be easily avoided.

Preferably, each mop carrier wing forms a right angle trapezoid whose larger base line forms the hinge edge. In its grounded position, therefore, the mop has a continuous leading edge containing the two right-angled side edges and two narrower ends which may eventually become a corner so that each mop carrier wing forms a triangle.

The continuous straight front edge of the floor wiper makes it possible to bring this up to a straight, running transversely to the working direction boundary edge of the floor to be wiped.

The Auspressangriff over sufficiently stable and-arranged in sufficient spaced apart Auspressarme on the support center piece articulated Moppträgerflügel causes a thorough squeezing, without that the force to be applied would be too high at the beginning of the Auspressvorgangs.

Conveniently, the wiper handle is connected via a universal joint with the support center piece and the ends of the Auspressarme are each engageable with a guide surface on the back of the respectively associated Moppträgerflügels. The Auspressschieber is here performed non-rotatably on the wiper handle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the guide surface of each Moppträgerflügels in the direction of the free end of the plate rises to a towering from this back of Moppträgerflügels elevation. As a result, reinforced, final compression of the mop carrier wings is effected at the end of the squeezing movement.

Preferably, the guide surface drops on the free end of the plate facing the side of the survey to Moppträgerflügel out. This ensures that the force to be applied to the squeezing slide falls after exceeding the elevations at the end of the squeezing process and thus gives the user a clear indication that the squeezing process is completed and completed.

• Fig. 1 einen Bodenwischer in einer Seitenansicht in seiner Arbeitsstellung,
• Fig. 2 den Bodenwischer nach Fig. 1 zu Beginn des Auspressvorgangs,
• Fig. 3 den Bodenwischer nach den Fig. 1 und 2 am Ende des Auspressvorgangs,
• Fig. 4 den Bodenwischer nach den Fig. 1-3 in einer Arbeitsstellung mit seitlich abgewinkelten Wischerstiel,
• Fig. 5 eine Draufsicht in Richtung des Pfeiles V in Fig. 1, wobei der Wischerstiel und der Auspressschieber weggelassen sind,
• Fig. 6a)-d) Teildarstellungen unterschiedlicher Ausführungsformen der Rollkörper bzw. der gewölbten Druckfläche am Ende eines Anpressarms,
• Fig. 7 einen Schnitt längs der Linie VII-VII in Fig. 5,
• Fig. 8 eine vereinfachte Teildarstellung einer abgewandelten Ausführungsform des Rollkörpers am Ende des Auspressarms,
• Fig. 9, 10 und 11 unterschiedliche Grundrissformen des Bodenwischers jeweils in Darstellungen ähnlich der Fig. 5,
• Fig. 12, 13 und 14 unterschiedliche Ausführungsformen der Rollkörper und deren Laufflächen und
• Fig. 15 die Anordnung des Bodenwischers in einem Eimer.

Further advantageous embodiments of the inventive concept are the subject of further subclaims. Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail, which are illustrated in the drawing. It shows:

• 1 shows a floor wiper in a side view in its working position,
• 2 shows the floor wiper according to Fig. 1 at the beginning of the Auspressvorgangs,
• 3 shows the floor wiper according to FIGS. 1 and 2 at the end of the pressing process,
• 4 in a working position with laterally angled wiper handle
• 5 is a plan view in the direction of arrow V in Fig. 1, wherein the wiper handle and the Auspressschieber 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 is a section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 5,
• 8 is a simplified partial view of a modified embodiment of the rolling body at the end of the Auspressarms,
• 9, 10 and 11 different planforms of the floor wiper in each case in representations similar to FIG. 5,
• Fig. 12, 13 and 14 different embodiments of the rolling bodies and their treads and
• Fig. 15 shows the arrangement of the floor wiper 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 with a support center piece 3, but on all sides. The support center piece 3 is connected via hinges 4 mounted on both sides, each with a mop carrier wing 5.

The two Moppträgerflügel 5 and the support center piece 3 carry an absorbent, auspressbaren mop pad 6, which consists of a sponge layer 7 and a pile cover 8 in a conventional manner.

A squeezing slide 9 is displaceable along the wiper handle 1. The Auspressschieber 9 has a guide sleeve 10 which is guided longitudinally displaceably on the wiper handle 1. For example, in the bore of the sleeve 10, a longitudinal groove 10 a is provided, into which engages a mounted on the wiper handle 1 pin 1 a.

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

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

When the squeegee 9 is moved down to initiate a squeezing operation on the wiper shaft 7, the rollers 12 (or in Comparable manner, the ball 15 and the curved pressure surface 16), each with a guide surface 17 on the back of the respectively associated Moppträgerflügel 5 into engagement. As a result, the two Moppträgerflügel 5 are pivoted against each other, as shown in Fig. 2 at the beginning of the Auspressvorgangs. For better guidance of the rollers 12, the ball 15 or the pressure surface 16, the guide surface 17 may each have a concave flat longitudinal groove 17a (FIGS. 7, 13 or 14).

The two guide surfaces 17 on the back of each Moppträgerflügels 5 rise in the direction of the free wing end 5a to a survey 17b, which rises from the back of the Moppträgerflügels 5 and the free wing end 5a falls again.

At the end of the squeezing process, which is shown in Fig. 3, the rollers 12 have reached these elevations 17b, whereby the two Moppträgerflügel 5 are folded into their outermost Auspressstellung against each other. It can be provided that the rollers 12 slightly exceed the elevations 17b, so that a drop in the force to be expended on the squeezing slide 9 gives the user a feeling that the end point of the squeezing process has been exceeded.

From this Auspressstellung (Fig. 3), the Auspressschieber 9 is withdrawn back to its original position. In this case, the two mop carrier wings 5 are moved into their extended position by a spring device, for example a leg spring 18 (FIG. 5), whose legs are connected to the mop carrier wings 5. The hinges of the mop carrier wings 5 are designed so that the Moppträgerflügel 5 can not be folded beyond its extended orientation upwards.

4 shows that the squeezing 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 to the side sufficiently, as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows a further modified embodiment in which the rolling body on Auspressarm 11 is provided on the periphery with recesses 19 wheel 20 which engages with at least one projection 21 and 22 at the back of Moppträgerflügels 5 at the end of the Auspressvorgangs.

Each of the two Moppträgerflügel 5 forms a right angle trapezoid. The hinge edge 5b respectively forms the larger base line of the trapezoid. Each trailing edge 5e of each mop carrier blade 5 extends at an acute angle to the hinge edge 5b forming the hinge 4, and is inclined toward the leading edge 5d, which is at right angles to the hinge edge 5b.

The hinge edge 5b opposite free edge 5a of each Moppträgerflügels 5 thus forms the smaller base line of the trapezoid. Each mop carrier wing 5 is substantially narrower in the region of its free edge 5a than in the region of its hinge edge 4. The edge 5a can also be reduced down to a point, so that the ground plan surface of the mop carrier wing 5 forms a triangle (FIG. 11). With a small increase in the required pressure, this results in a further substantial increase in the wiping width without increasing the immersion depth.

The two perpendicular to the hinge edge 5b extending edges 5c of the Moppträgerflügel 5 form a common straight, continuous leading edge 5d of the floor wiper.

In comparison to a floor wiper with rectangular mop carrier wings, the illustrated floor wiper with inclined trailing edge 5e comes out with a lower water level in the cleaning bucket. The immersion depth of the Floor wiper is less in the conventional inclined position shown in Fig. 15 as rectangular mop carrier wings.

In Fig. 9 it is shown that the distance b of the point of application of the Auspressarms 11 on the guide surface 17 of the hinge edge 5b is at least equal to the width a of the support center piece 3.

The distance b of the point of application of the Auspressarms 11 of the hinge edge 5b is at least 1/5 of the width c of the Moppträgerflügels. 5

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

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

Claims (16)

1. A floor mop having two mop carrier wings (5) which are connected in an articulated manner to a mop handle (1) and bear an absorbent mop cover (6), and having a squeezing-out slide (9) which can be displaced along the mop handle (1) and has two rigid squeezing-out arms (11), the ends of which can each be brought into engagement with a guide surface (17) on the rear side of the respectively associated mop carrier wing (5), in which case each mop carrier wing (5) forms a right-angled trapezium or triangle, the larger base line of which forms a hinge edge (5b), and the two edges (5c) of the mop carrier wings (5), these edges running at right angles to the hinge edge (5b), form a common rectilinear and continuous front edge (5d) of the floor mop, characterized in that the handle (1) is connected in an articulated manner to a carrier centrepiece (3) on which the two mop carrier wings (5) are mounted, via hinges (4) fitted on both sides, such that they can be pivoted by way of the hinge edge (5b).
2. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that, the mop handle (1) is connected to the carrier centrepiece (3) via a cardan joint (2), and in that the ends (11a) of the squeezing-out arms (11) can be brought into engagement in each case with a guide surface (17) on the rear side of the respectively associated mop carrier wing (5), and in that the squeezing-out slide (9) is guided in a non-rotatable manner on the mop handle (1).
3. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the two mop carrier wings (5) are moved into their straightened-out position by a spring device (18).
4. A floor mop according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide surface (17) of each mop carrier wing (5) slopes up, in the direction of the free wing end (5a), to an elevation (17b) which projects up out of the rear side of the mop carrier wing (5).
5. A floor mop according to claim 4, characterized in that the guide surface (17) slopes down in the direction of the mop carrier wing (5) on that side of the elevation (17b) which is directed towards the free plate end (5a).
6. A floor mop according to claim 2, characterized in that the end (11a) of each squeezing-out arm (11) bears a rotatable rolling body (12, 15, 20).
7. A floor mop according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a roller (12) which is mounted in a rotatable manner on the squeezing-out arm (11).
8. A floor mop according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a ball (15) which is accommodated in a rotatable manner in a recess (14) of the squeezing-out arm (11).
9. A floor mop according to claim 6, characterized in that the rolling body is a wheel (20) which is provided on the circumference with depressions (19) and passes into engagement with at least one protrusion (21, 22) on the rear side of the mop carrier wing (5).
10. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the end (11a) of each squeezing-out arm (11) has a convexly curved pressure-exerting surface (16).
11. A floor mop according to claim 6 or 10, characterized in that the guide surface (17) has a cross-sectionally concave flat longitudinal groove (17a).
12. A floor mop according to claim 2, characterized in that the spacing (b) between the point at which the squeezing-out arm (11) acts on the guide surface (17) and the hinge edge (5b) is at least equal to the width (a) of the carrier centrepiece (3).
13. A floor mop according to claim 2, characterized in that the spacing (b) between the point of action of the squeezing-out arm (11) and the hinge edge (5b) is at least 1/5 of the width (c) of the mop carrier wing (5).
14. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the mop handle (1) acts in the longitudinal centre of the carrier centrepiece (3).
15. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the mop handle (1) is offset in the direction of the front edge (5d) from the longitudinal centre of the carrier centrepiece (3).
16. A floor mop according to claim 1, characterized in that the oblique rear edge (5e) of each mop carrier wing (5) forms an angle (α) of 50°-70° with the hinge edge (5b).

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