GB2388577A

GB2388577A - Janitorial trolley

Info

Publication number: GB2388577A
Application number: GB0309500A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Edward Gailes; Christopher Robert Duncan
Original assignee: Numatic International Ltd
Current assignee: Numatic International Ltd
Priority date: 2002-04-25
Filing date: 2003-04-25
Publication date: 2003-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2023-04-25
Also published as: GB2388577B; GB0209527D0

Abstract

A trolley for cleaning materials and utensils comprises a wheeled base unit (10), a framework for support of cleaning materials and utensils and a handle (26); wherein the framework comprises a pair of spaced frame members (30) comprising a bent or curved tubular element and support means (35, 36) carried by the framework in the region of the bend (31). The support means provide support for a mop press / wringer (60) so that pressure applied thereto does not cause rocking. Second leg members (20) may be provided which can be releasably attached to the frame members by means of a hinged connecting plate (22) and thumbscrew (23). The frame members and second leg members are preferably hinged (15, 17) to the base unit such that it can be easily collapsed and erected.

Description

Improvements in and relating to janitorial trolleys.

This invention relates to conveyances, such as janitorial trolleys, for cleaning and like materials and articles.

5 Janitorial trolleys are well-known in the cleaning art; they are used extensively in hotels and offices to convey equipment and materials for general use in cleaning.

Particularly when mopping operations are involved, such trolleys may be called upon to convey buckets and mop ringers 10 as well as a selection of mops cleaning materials, dusters and the like.

Traditionally such trolleys incorporate a bucket having disposed across the least part of the open top a mop wringer 15 being in the form of a generally frustoconical or hemispherical depression perforated around the bowl or frustocone thereof into which a mop head is pressed to express surplus water therefrom prior to mopping surplus water from a floor or other surface.

In recent years, devices which can..squeeze" mops heads have been developed which tend to be mounted on a janitorial trolley whereby the mop head is placed in the mop wringing device and on operation of an operating handle, a movable 2S platen moves against the mop head to squeeze water out of it.

The expressed water is then discharge from the mop head into

( a bucket below. Conventional janitorial trolleys comprise a generally rectilinear framework having a number of shelves and spaces adapted to accommodate various cleaning materials and articles that may be required during the cleaning 5 operation, and cleaning implements for use by the operative.

Such mop presses have, therefore, been simply "hung" on an existing rectilinear framework. As the technology of these mop presses has improved, a greater proportion of water has been wrung from the mop head. To this end, therefore, an 10 increasing mechanical advantage needs to be applied to the mop head during the wringing operation. This in turn has resulted in significant forces being applied to the mop press and hence to the framework of the janitorial trolleys supporting it.

It is a source of continual irritant to operatives when wringing their mops to find that the whole structure of the janitorial trolley rocks in response to the force applied.

This can often result in articles falling from the trolley 20 which then requires the operative to stop what they are doing in order to restack the goods back onto the trolley.

A further problem that arises is that of erecting the janitorial trolley upon delivery. Janitorial trolleys are 25 large bulky items and it is not practicable to transport these over great distances in an erected condition.

( Accordingly the current practice is to manufacture these trolleys in a flat pack form and for the purchaser to erecting the trolley. Where, however, a hotel or other the organization orders Is or 20 of these trolleys, the effort 5 required to erect all of them prior to use is considerable and represents a significant time overhead to the purchaser.

There is an increasing demand, therefore, for suppliers to be asked to erect the products on delivery. This increase the supplier costs.

There is, therefore, a need for a janitorial trolley, which avoids at least some of these disadvantages. The present applicants have found that by redesigning the framework of such a trolley, they are able to achieve a reduction in the 15 tendency of the framework to rock during mop squeezing actions. In another aspect of the invention, the framework may be adapted to be readily foldable so that erection is much simplified for the purchaser.

20 According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a trolley for cleaning and like materials and equipment, which trolley comprises: -

a wheeled base capable of transitional movement over a 25 surface for the transport of materials and equipment carried thereby

a framework erected upon said base for the support and accommodation of cleaning materials and equipment 5 handle means for guiding said base over the surface in which said framework comprises a pair of spaced frame members and associated support means capable of supporting a mop press or the like, wherein each of said spaced frame 10 members comprises a bent tubular element arranged to constitute at least one leg of said framework, the bend being defined by an angle greater than 90 degrees and wherein said support means is carried by the framework in the region of said bend, the arrangement being such that any pressure 15 applied to the press or like device supported by the support means acts within the spread of the legs of the framework thereby resisting any turning or rocking movement in use.

In one aspect of the present invention, the leg portion of 20 each bent tubular element may be hinged to the wheeled base and movable between a collapsed position and an erected position. Each bent tubular element may be associated with a second leg member hingedly connected to said base and with connection means effective between the second leg member and 2S the bent tubular element so that when both are in the erected position, they provide a framework portion upstanding from

( said wheeled base. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the rear leg is disposed substantially vertically in the erected configuration.

5 The said associated support means may comprises a transverse bar or tubular member adapted to receive the engaging arms of a mop press and is constructed and arranged to maintain said mop press in an operative position. The said associated support means may comprises a pair of spaced bars or tubular 10 members spaced one above the other. The said associated support means may be fixedly attached, for example as by welding, to each of the bent tubular members at or in the region of the bend therein. The mop press itself may be of any known construction; a suitable mop press is described in 15 the applicant's copending PCT Application No. GBOO/01688.

The bend in each of the spaced frame members should be greater than 90 degrees. In one embodiment of the present invention, a bend defined by an angle of 105 degrees has been 20 found to be suitable. In this particular embodiment, the support member is preferably welded to the framework centrally of the curved part of the bend so that any applied force to a mop press carried by the support member has the effect of attempting to "straighten'' the bend.

2S The wheeled base is preferably provided with a caster at or s

( towards each corner thereof. This will allow ease of transitional movement over a surface over which the trolley is to be moved and gives almost total freedom of movement to the trolley in any direction.

Each frame member and its associated leg may be interconnected by means of a hinged connecting plate carried by the leg, which is adapted to overlay an end of the frame member. The frame member is provided with a threaded ]0 drilling which is adapted to co-operate with a corresponding hole in the connecting plate so as to receive a thumbscrew whereby the frame member and the associated leg may be releasably interconnected. In this way, where each of the frame members and the associated rear leg is hingedly ]5 connected to the wheeled base, the framework of the trolley may be collapsed to lie in close juxtaposition with the base for transport to the purchaser. On receipt by the purchaser, the collapsed trolley may be removed from its packaging and the associated framework members and rear legs may be erected 20 and inter-connected in the manner described above.

The pair of rear legs may also carry the handle means hingedly connected thereto, the arrangement being such that the rearwardly extending handle may allow further folding to 25 lay substantially contiguous the rear leg. The handle may be provided with a capture plate and thumbscrew adapted to

( engage with a corresponding drilling on the leg so that with the thumbscrew applied, the capture plate maintains the handle portion in the operative position.

5 Following is a description by way of example only and with

reference to the accompanying informal drawings of one embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawings: -

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a janitorial trolley in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the trolley of Figure 1.

A janitorial trolley in accordance with the present invention comprises a base indicated generally at 10 having at each 25 corner 11 thereof, a caster 12 of known design and construction. Base 10 has towards its rear, a raised portion

( 13 having a central slot 14. Raised portion 13 towards the rearward end thereof, is provided with a transverse drilling accommodating a hinge pin 15. The forward portion of base lo is also provided on each side with an upstanding pert 16 5 having a central recess and is also drilled to accommodate a forward hinge pin 17, the constructional arrangements on each side of the base lo being identical.

The hinged pin Is supports a rear leg 20, which is capable of to limited rotational movement about pin 15 from a generally horizontal position to the erected position as shown in Figure 1. The upper portion of the leg 20 has a rearward extension 21, which carries towards its lower end a yoked connecting piece 22. Yoked connecting piece 22 comprises two Is sides and an upper portion and is open at its underside.

Centrally of the upper portion and towards the extremity thereof, yoked connecting piece 22 is provided with a drilling (not shown) adapted to accommodate a thumbscrew 23.

The rearward extension 21 carries towards its upper end a 20 further hinged pin 24 which accommodates a bunion plate 25 fixedly secured to handle 26 the arrangement being such that the handle is capable of being folded so that handle portion 26 lies substantially in juxtaposition leg 20. The handle portion 26, 26' has a pair of vertically spaced bars 29 25 extending between them to support a rear platform 27 for the carriage of cleaning materials/utensils.

/ ( The hinged pin 17 accommodated within upstanding part 16 of base 10 carries a framework member 30 which is generally bent at 31 to provided forward leg portion 32 and an upper, and S generally horizontal, bar 33. The bend portion 31 has welded thereto an upstanding bracket 34 which carries laterally disposed upper support bars 35 and 36 respectively extending between the framework members 30 on each side of the base 10, the upper bar 35 being generally cylindrical and the lower 10 bar 36 being of generally square cross-section.

The arrangement of the trolley and its associated framework is such that in the erected position as shown in Figure 1, the yoked piece 22 is adapted to overlay the extremity of bar 15 portion 33 while thumbscrew 23 is engaged with the threaded drilling in bar portion 33, which on tightening serves to unite framework portion 30 with rear leg 20 while the support bars 35 and 36 and vertically spaced bars 29 serve to maintain the spacing of the components which between them 20 define an upstanding and substantially rigid framework.

Release of the thumbscrew 23 on each side of the trolley will allow the rear legs 20 in each case to hinge slightly rearwardly to disengage yoked piece 22 from the extremity of 25 bar 33. By lifting bar 33 slightly, legs 20 may be hinged forwardly to lie flush upon the surface of the base 10 while

( the plate 25 may be disengaged to allow handle 26 to be hinged substantially horizontally and contiguous leg 20 in its folded position upon the base 10. In this configuration, the framework members 30 may then be hinged rearwardly and 5 downwardly so that the framework members 30 lie outside of the leg portion is 20 and the bent portion 31 is accommodated in the general area of the upstanding portion 13 towards the rear of the base. It will be appreciated that in this configuration, the trolley is effectively 'flat packed".

10 When packed with its various accessories, such an assemblage on receipt by an end purchaser, can be erected by reversing the collapsing sequence discussed above.

In use, contoured buckets 50 and 51 as described in our IS copending UK Application No 0208274.1 may be accommodated on the front of the carriage. The underside of each bucket is contoured at 52 to sit over an edge 53 of the base 10 as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively each bucket SO and S1 maybe accommodated within the outline of the carriage 10 by being 20 seated on the substantially horizontal platform 54 of base 10 provided for the purpose.

The support bars 35 and 36 are adapted to support a mop press indicated generally at 60 of the type described in our 2S copending PCT Application No GB 00/01688. The operating lever 61 will be seen to have its pivot point 62 inboard of the ]O

extremity of leg 30. In operation of the lever 61, therefore, the applied forced to squeeze the mop will be applied arcuately, forwardly and downwardly. The applied forced to the janitorial trolley will be through bars 35 and 5 36 and from then to the framework members 30. The pressure is applied in such a way as to attempt to straighten the bend 31. In this way the potential bending or rocking of the framework structure upon the base 10 is substantially inhibited since significant downward pressure serves to 10 splay, very slightly, leg 32 with respect to leg 20 thereby serving to maintain and reinforce the rigidity of the structure. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that 15 various ancillary supporting accessories 70 and 71 may be provided to support a profusion of buckets, pails, waste sacks etc. depending upon the purpose for which the trolley i 6 to be used.

20 The present applicants have found that the janitorial trolley described above provides for ease of manufacture and for supply in a collapsed condition, which is easily erected by a consumer with the minimum of effort. All that is required is the erection of the front and rear legs in the manner 25 described and the insertion and engagement of the thumbscrew 23. Thereafter, the handle 26 is erected as shown in Figure

( 1 and the plate 25 engaged with it to maintain it in the erected position. The various buckets, mop and cleaning accessories are then simply attached or loaded onto the framework in an appropriate manner and the trolley is then 5 ready for use. This represents a considerable saving in time and effort on receipt of the delivered article while the construction of the framework member 30 and its associated rear leg 20 serves to provided an extremely rigid platform for the application of a significant amount of force to the 10 operating lever 61 of a mop press 60. This arrangement substantially eliminates the frocking'' experienced with the prior art trolleys.

Claims

Claims

A trolley for cleaning materials and equipment, which trolley comprises: (a) a wheeled base unit capable of wheeled movement over a surface 5 for the transport of materials and equipment carried thereby; (b) a framework erected upon said base for the support and accommodation of cleaning materials and equipment; and (c) handle means for guiding said base over the surface, wherein said framework comprises a pair of spaced frame members and 10 associated support means structurally linking said frame members and capable of supporting a mop press or the like, wherein each of said spaced frame members comprises a bent or curved tubular element arranged to constitute a leg of said framework, the bend being defined by an angle greater than 90 degrees and wherein said support means is carried by the framework in the 5 region of said bend, the arrangement being such that any pressure applied to the press or dike device supported by the support means acts within the spread of the legs of the framework thereby resisting any turning or rocking movement in use.

20
2. A trolley as claimed in claim 1 wherein a leg portion of each bent tubular element is hinged to the wheeled base unit and movable

( between a collapsed position and an erected position.
3. A trolley as claimed in claim I or claim 2 wherein each bent tubular element is associated with a second leg rr,ember hingedly connected to S said base unit and with connection means effective between the second leg member and the bent tubular element so that when both are in the: erected position, they provide a framework portion upstanding from said wheeled base.

10
4. A trolley as claimed in claim 3 wherein second leg member serves as a rear leg which is disposed substantially vertically in an erected configuration.
5. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the said associated 15 support means comprises a transverse bar or tubular member adapted to receive the engaging arms of a mop press and is constructed and arranged to maintain said mop press in an operative position.
6. A trolley as claimed in claim 5 wherein said associated support means 20 comprises a pair of spaced bars or tubular members spaced one above the other.

(
7. A trolley as claimed in claim
S or 6 wherein said associated support means is fixedly attached, for example as by welding, to each of the bent tubular members at or in the region of the bend therein.

5 8. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the bend is defined by an angle of 100 to 110, preferably 105 degrees.
9. A trolley as claimed in claim 8 wherein the support member is preferably welded to the framework centrally of the curved part of the 10 bend so that any applied force to a mop press carried by the support member has the effect of attempting to "straighten" the bend.
10. A trolley as claimed in any of claims 3 to 9 wherein each frame member and its associated second leg member are interconnected by means of a hinged connecting plate carried by the leg, which plate is adapted to overlay an end of the frame member.
11. A trolley as claimed in claim 10 wherein the frame member is provided with a threaded drilling which is adapted to co-operate with a 20 corresponding hole in the connecting plate so as to receive a thumbscrew whereby the frame member and the associated second leg

( member may be releasably interconnected.
12. A trolley as claimed in any of claims 3 to 11 wherein a pair of second rear leg members carry the handle means hingedly connected thereto, S the arrangement being such that a rearwardly extending handle allows further folding to lay substantially contiguous the rear leg members.
13. A trolley for cleaning materials and equipment as hereinbefore described with reference to the figures of the drawings.