GB2134378A - Cleaning tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning tool 1 has a generally cylindrical cleaning head 13 mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis thereof for rolling across a surface 17 to clean it, said head 13 having a generally annular water-collecting portion 14 made of a generally flexible and compressible material 15 formed so as to be water-absorbing and substantially water- retaining in its generally uncompressed form. The water collecting material 15 may be made from cotton fibres or sponge-like material, and may be mounted on a perforated roller. The tool may also be provided with a scraper blade and brush (Figure 1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cleaning tool This invention relates to cleaning tools and in particular to a tool for mopping up water from a textured floor or other surface.

Whilst conventional sponge-type or string-head mops which are dragged or pushed across a floor are generally satisfactory for mopping up water from smooth floor surfaces, they are less than satisfactory when used on, for example, textured floor tiles or similar surfaces used for aesthetic or anti-slip purposes. With such surfaces the sliding action of the tool head across the raised portions of the floor surface results in water in the depressed portions not being picked up by the mop-head. This in turn results in slow drying of the floor and dirty marks on the floor.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention provides a cleaning tool having a generally cylindrical cleaning head mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis thereof for rolling across a surface in use of said tool, said head having a generally annular watercollecting portion made of a generally flexible and compressible material formed so as to be waterabsorbing and substantially water-retaining in its generally uncompressed form whereby in use of said tool water may be collected substantially completelyfrom a textured impermeable surface by rolling said head across said surface.

With a tool of the present invention it is possible to collect substantially all the water on a textured floor surface or other surface including substantially all of that in depressed portions thereof.

Further preferred features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a tool of the invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section though to tool head in use of a textured floor surface; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective of a further tool of the invention; and Figures 4to 9 are examples of various water extracting means for moving water collected on the head.

Figure 1 shows a floor cleaning tool 1 of the invention comprising a support body 2 having a proximal end 3 mounted in a handle 4 and a distal end in the form of a yoke Son which is mounted a shaft 6. One end 7 of the shaft 6 is hingedly connected 12 to one limb 8 of the yoke 5, the other end 9 engaging with a push fit in a locating socket means 10 on the other limb 11.

On the shaft is rotatably mounted a tubular roller head 13 becoming an annular water collecting portion 14 in the form of a suitable material 15 mounted on a substrate 16.

The material 15 on the head is selected to be generally flexible and compressible and is formed in such away, for example in a cellularand/orfibrous form, so as to be capable of absorbing a substantial quantity of water in relation to the amount of said material, when said head is rolled across a floor surface and retaining said water under light pressure such as that obtaining during roling across a floor wherein said material is substantially uncompressed. Various natural or synthetic polymeric materials may be used including for example cotton or similar fibres formed into string-like members and certain highly water absorbent sponge-like materials.

As the head is rolled across a texture floor surface 17 (see Figure 2) the water collecting material 15 presses down lightly into the recesses 18 between adjacent raised portions 19 to collect water 20 from therein.

When the material has picked up a full load and is saturated the water collected therein is extracted with the aid of a suitable extraction means for example by pressing heavily against a grid 21 shown in Figure 4 and conveniently mounted in a bucket 22 for catching the collected water 23; squeezing in a perforated clamp 24 shown in Figure 5: or pulling through a pinch roller assembly 25 shown in Figure 6 or opposed fingers 26 resiliently biased together.

The tool shown in Figure 1 is also conveniently provided with additional cleaning features such as a scraper blade 27 and a stiff brush 28.

Naturally the present invention also extends to a method of collecting water from or squeezing water across a textured floor or other surface comprising rolling a tool of the invention across the floor and subsequently extracting water collected on the tool head from said head.

In the further embodiment of Figure 3 (in which drawing like parts are denoted by like reference numerals) the roller head 13 is provided with a short extension section 130 which is disposed on the outer side of the yoke 5 at the limb 11 remote from hinge connection 12. This short section 130 is particularly useful for cleaning in corners and the like.

As may be seen in Figure 3 the water collecting material 15 is, in each section, mounted on a cylindrical drum 31 which has a plurality of perforations 32 both in its curved wall 33 and its end walls 34 to facilitate water drainage away from the material 15 during extraction therefrom. The drum 31 is rotatably mounted in the yoke 5 with the aid of short hollow stub axles 70 mounted in said end walls 34, the main axle 7 being fed through the hollow sub axles 70.

In order to improve the security of the roller head 13 in its water collecting position the limb 11 remote from the hinge is provided with a waisted slot 35 formed and arranged to provide a snap-fit interengagement with the roller head axle 7 between the main and extension sections of the head 13. Convenientlythe head is also provided with a deck scrubber mounting plate 36 ahead or behind the handle 2.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a water extraction apparatus comprising a bucket 36 having a lip 37 around its generally rectangular mouth 38.

A water extraction means 39 comprises a generally box shaped body 40 with a top 41 and three side walls 41 whose bottom edges 42 are provided with a channel or like section 43 formed and arranged for snap-fit engagement with the bucket lip 37.

In the top 41 is provided a generally regular polygonal arrngement of dimensionally stable squeeze rollers 42 mounted on respective interconnected axles 43 (in the drawing three which together from an equilateral triangle).The squeeze rollers 42 are each waisted 44 in a central portion 45 to define together a generally circular aperture 46 somewhat smaller than the uncompressed diameter of the water collection roller 13 which is pushed therethrough to squeeze the water out therefrom. The end portions 47 of the squeeze rollers are chamfered 48 so that the roller end portions of adjacent rollers make rolling contact with each other thereat. The top 41 also has a slot adjacent the open side 49 to provide a carrying handle 50.

Claims (9)

1. A cleaning tool having a generally cylindrical cleaning head mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis thereof for rolling across a surface in use of said tool, said head having a generally annular water-collecting portion made of a generally flexible and compressible material formed so as to be water-absorbing and substantially water-retaining in its generally uncompressed form whereby in use of said tool water may be collected substantially completely from a textured impermeable surface by rolling said head across said surface.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said handle is substantially elongate so as to permit use on a floor surface by a user in a substantially upright position.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said head is mounted on an axle means having one end hingedly secured to one limb of a yoke and a second end portion detachably secured to the other limb of said yoke.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the cleaning head has an extension end portion spaced from a main portion, said main portion being disposed between the yoke limbs and said extension end portion beyond said other limb remote from the hinged end of the axle means for use in cleaning corners or the like.

5. A tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the water collecting portion is mounted on a cylindrical drum having a plurality of perforations in its curved wall and at least one end wall for facilitating water drainage from the water collecting portion during water extraction therefrom.

6. Atool as claimed in claim 5 wherein the end walls of the drum have stub axles mounted therein for rotatable mounting of the roller head.

7. A cleaning system comprising a tool as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims in combination with a water extraction means comprising a body having a generally circular aperture defined by a polygonal arrangement of waisted squeeze rollers, said aperture having a diameter somewhat less than that of the cleaning head so that said head can be pushed axiallytherethrough and squeezed by said squeeze rollers to extract therefrom water collected by the head.

8. A cleaning tool according to claim 1 substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of collecting water from or squeezing water across a textured floor or other surface comprising rolling a tool according to any one of the preceeding claims across the surface and subsequently extracting water collected on the tool head from said head.