GB2189384A - Adjustable wringer attachment for bucket - Google Patents

Abstract

A wringer attachment for mounting on the rim of a bucket comprises a perforated tray portion 12 in which a wet floor-cleaning implement may be placed, arms 14 each provided with a member 15 slidably mounted therein, and bucket rim grippers 16, 18 provided at the ends of the slidable members and at an edge of the tray portion between the arms. The slidable members may each be provided with a toothed-portion (22) engageable with a wall portion 21 of an arm so as to fix its position relative thereto. The wringer attachment may be used on buckets of different diameters, and having differently shaped rims. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Universal wringer device of basket type, applicable to containers of different dimensions The present invention relates to a universal wringer of basket type, applicable to containers of different dimensions.

It is known to position, on a container for liquids, or bucket, a wringer element positioned on an upper rim portion by means of hooking elements curved in a vertical direction to a saddle shape, so as to fasten and support said element in the nearby of the same rim.

Such hooking elements, positioned vertically and parallelly to the rim of the bucket do not allow the wringer device to be positioned on buckets of different dimensions, unless two of them are positioned very closely to each other, such a couple resulting however unstable.

Furthermore, such hooking elements result to perform, besides the function of supports, also the function of stable fastening, and, in as much as their fastening elasticity acts in the direction of introduction of the floor-cleaning implement, this latter tends easily to cause a removal, even if unvoluntarily, of the wringer device.

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a wringer device endowed with an immediate possibility of positioning on buckets of different diameters, and having a differently shaped rim.

Another purpose is that such a positioning results stable and reliable and is not impaired by the motion of the floor-cleaning implement.

A further, not least purpose is to provide a wringer device which does not allow liquid to escape from the bucket, and that the positioning of such a wringer device does not endanger the stability of the bucket.

These and still other purposes, according to the present invention, are achieved by providing a universal wringer device of basket type applicable onto containers of different dimensions, characterized in that it comprises a perforated tray provided with a hollow upper curved edge, from which two hollow arms protrude, which are inclined relatively to each other, and converge towards a front flat portion of said upper edge, furthermore two hooking means being provided, which are sliding in an adjustable fashion inside two arms, and a further hooking element being provided, which is positioned on said upper edge, rearwards between said two hooking elements.

Preferably, said two hooking means and said further hooking element comprise a portion, at a substantially right angle, which is extended from said elastically yielding rim on a horizontal plane, provided with a downwards-extending vertical appendix acting towards a flat wall which too protrudes vertically from said rim.

The structural and functional characteristics and the advantages of a universal wringer device according to the present invention will be beter understood on the basis of the following exemplifying and non-limitative disclosure referred to the schematic drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wringer device according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an elevation view of the wringer device of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged detail seen from down upwards, of a locking means of the wringer device according to the invention, and Figure 4 is a sectional view along path lV-lV of the detail of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, a wringer device generally indicated with 10 is applied onto the side wall of a bucket 11, shown by chain in Figure 1, and is produced from a plastic material by a moulding technique.

The wringer device comprises a cone-frustum tray 12, provided with a plurality of side and bottom openings, with an upper hollow curved edge 13, from which two arms 14 protrude, also said arms being hollow, and inside which drawer-shaped elements 15 provided with hooking means 16 being slidingly housed.

The two arms 14 are positioned in a mutually inclined position, and converge towards a front flat portion 17 hollowed out in the upper edge 13, which is positioned towards the interior of bucket 11, while from the opposite side of the upper edge 13, a further third hooking means 18 is provided, so to protrude in an intermediate position relatively to said two hooking means 16.

Atop said arms 14, perimetral projecting edges 19 are provided, which are open nearly only in correspondence of the upper edge 13, so to contain and make the wringed out and overflown liquid to flow again into the interior of the bucket 11.

Inside the arms 14 guide edges 20 are provided, to act as guides for the sliding of the box elements 15, besides partial walls 21 transversal relatively to said guide edges 20, which define upward openings 29.

Each drawer-shaped element 15 is provided inwards with a toothed flat portion 22, to act as an engagement means for position adjustment, facing towards said partial walls 21 or openings 29, in a releasable and sliding engagement with them. On its other side, the drawer is outwards provided with the hooking means 16, which comprise a portion 23 at a substantially right angle, elastically yielding on a horizontal plane, which is provided with a vertical, downwards-protruding knurled appendix 24, inclined towards a central portion of said drawer, with a stiffening rib 25, and acting towards a flat wall 26, which too protrudes downwards from said central portion.

The third hooking means 18 is very similar to the hooking means 16, but is fixedly constrained onto the upper edge 13, from which the flat wall 26 protrudes downwards.

Both the two hooking means 16 and the third hooking means 18 are provided with a second rigid portion 27 at a substantially right angle, stationary and bent towards the end of said yielding portion at right angle 23, which, by being so positioned as to contain it towards said edge 13, acts as a limit stop, i.e., as a horizontal stroke-limiting shoulder, so to safeguard said flexible portion 23 from being broken.

Laterally, and on both sides of said third hooking means 18, in the lower part of edge 13 two substantially circular hollows 28 are provided, positioned along a chord which does not interfere with said tray 12, able to receive and retain a handle, or a portion thereof, of a floor-cleaning implement (not shown).

A wringer device according to the present invention is positioned on the extreme upper rim of the wall of a bucketil, by firstly inserting the rear hooking means 18, so to position a wall portion between the flat wall 26 and the vertical appendix 24.

Subsequently, by acting on the drawer-shaped elements 15 so to move then into the pertinent hollow portions of arms 14, an adequate positioning is determined also of the two further hooking means 16 on the bucket rim 11.

The good flexibility of the right-angle portions 23 secures a reliable positioning and also a good fastening during the step of insertion, or, better, extraction, of the head of the floor-cleaning implement into or from the interior of the perforated tray 12.

It should be observed howthe position of the wringing centre remains always in a rearwards position relatively to the straight line connecting the two side points of backing on the bucket, and how such a position is consequently such as to in any cases prevent the bucket from overturning during the operational wringing step.

The particular inclined positioning of the two arms 14, so that the backing points are not aligned along bucket diameters, or chords close to them, allows moreover a universal wringer device according to the present invention to be advantageously used also on buckets equipped with upwards protruding handle hooking means.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely byway of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. Universal wringer device of basket type applicable onto containers of different dimensions, characterized in that it comprises a perforated tray provided with a hollow upper curved edge, from which two hollow arms protrude, which are inclined relatively to each other, and converge towards a front flat portion of said upper edge, furthermore two hooking means being provided, which are sliding in an adjustable fashion inside said two arms, and a further hooking element being provided, which is positioned on said upper edge, rearwards between said two hooking elements.

2. Universal wringer device according to claim 1, characterized in that said two hooking means, and said further hooking means comprise a portion at a substantially right angle, which protrudes from said elastically yielding edge on a horizontal plane, provided with a downwards-protruding vertical appendix, acting against a flat wall, which too protrudes vertically from said edge.

3. Universal wringer device according to claim 2, characterized in that said two hooking means are positioned on drawer-shaped elements sliding inside said two hollow arms and that said drawershaped elements are provided with engagement means for the adjustment of their positioning relatively to the said two areas

4. Universal wringer device according to claim 3, characterized in that said engagement means for positioning adjustment are a flat, toothed portion which protrudes from said drawer-shaped elements towards the interior of said two arms and rearwards relatively to said engagement means, and which operatively cooperates with a partial wall of said arm, provided transversally inside it and defining an opening.

5. Universal wringer device according to claim 1, characterized in that on said upper, curved, hollow edge a couple of hollows are provided in a downwards and outwards position, which are positioned along a chord which does not interfere with said tray, suitable to receive the handle of a floor-cleaning implement.

6. Universal wringer device according to claim 2, characterized in that said two hooking means, and said further hooking means furthermore comprise a second fixed, rigid portion, at a substantially right angle, bent towards the end of said first portion at a substantially right angle and so positioned as to contain it relatively to said edge.

7. Universal wringer device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1~4 of the accompanying drawings.