US20110016652A1

US20110016652A1 - Rotational mop

Info

Publication number: US20110016652A1
Application number: US12/585,475
Authority: US
Inventors: Shu-Hsun Chu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-07-24
Filing date: 2009-09-16
Publication date: 2011-01-27
Also published as: JP3155986U; TWM376258U

Abstract

A rotational mop includes a handle, a mop head and a plurality of cotton cloths. The mop head includes an installation disc, having a circular gutter formed on a top side of the installation disc, and a top side of two gutter walls is a serrated structure, and the cotton cloths are installed into the circular gutter and the serrated structure. The mop head further includes at least one serrated element embedded into the circular gutter, and a concave shape formed by a bottom side of the serrated element clamps the plurality of cotton cloths into the circular gutter in an M-shaped form. The installation disc can be connected directly to a bottom side of a turntable, or connected with a ring body first and then embedded into the bottom side of the turntable, so that the cotton cloth can be rotated together with the turntable in 360 degrees.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotational mop, and more particularly to a mop having cotton cloths fixed at a mop head capable of rotating in 360 degrees, and engaged with the mop head in an M-shaped form for preventing the mop head from falling out.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mop is a common tool used for cleaning a floor, and a traditional mop is generally comprised of a handle and a cotton cloth fixed to the bottom of the handle, and the traditional mop is generally operated by applying forces back and forth on a tilted handle, and driving the cotton cloth to move back and forth on the floor in order to clean the floor.
However, a force is usually applied to the traditional mop to drive the cotton cloth at the bottom of the handle to be in contact with the floor, and thus the cleaning effect is limited to the area where the cotton cloth is in contact with the floor only, and the cleaning effect of the mop is very limited. After a long time of use, the contact portion of the cotton cloth becomes dirty, and users have to change the direction of the handle in order to contact the floor with another portion of the cotton cloth for a continual cleaning effect. Obviously, the traditional mop is not convenient at all. Furthermore, a joint between the handle and the cotton cloth of the traditional mop usually comes with a large size, so that the mop cannot be used for cleaning hard-to-reach spots such as wall corners, table legs or crevices under objects effectively, and the application of the traditional mop is limited. Since the handle and the cotton cloth of the traditional mop do not have any special design, therefore a dirty cotton cloth will no longer have the effective cleaning effect anymore, and users have to discard the whole mop, and thus the prior art wastes resources.
Even though the traditional mop can overcome the aforementioned problems, yet no special design for connecting the cotton cloth with the mop head is found in the common rotational mops available in the market to overcome the problem of having the cotton cloth pulled away and separated from the mop head easily. As a result, the traditional rotational mop has a short life expectancy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a rotational mop, whose mop head and cotton cloth can be rotated in 360 degrees, and the cotton cloth is engaged securely by the mop head in a M-shaped form to prevent the cotton cloth from falling out.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a rotational mop of the invention includes:
a) a handle, composed of at least one section of rod, and a pivoting head installed at an end of the handle;
b) a mop head, pivotally coupled to the pivoting head; and
c) a plurality of cotton cloths, fixed at a bottom end of the mop head; characterized in that the mop head further comprises:
i) an installation disc, having at least one insert hole and a penetrating hole formed thereon, a circular gutter disposed at the top side of the installation disc, wherein a top side of two gutter walls of the circular gutter is a serrated structure, and the cotton cloth is installed in the circular gutter and the serrated structure;
ii) at least one serrated element, provided for being embedded into the circular gutter, and the bottom side of the serrated element forming a concave shape, such that the plurality of cotton cloths are clamped and fixed into the circular gutter in a M-shaped form;
iii) a turntable, having a connecting hole disposed at the center of the turntable, and at least one protruding pillar disposed at the bottom of the turntable, and disposed at a position corresponding to the insert hole of the installation disc for coupling the protruding pillar with the insert hole; and
iv) a connecting component, for connecting the turntable with the pivoting head, such that the turntable is a structure capable of rotating 360 degrees with respect to the handle, and the cotton cloth can be driven to rotate 360 degrees together with the turntable.
According to the invention, the protruding pillar disposed at the bottom side of the turntable is integrally formed with the turntable.
Moreover, the protruding pillar disposed at bottom side of the turntable is formed independently at the bottom side of a ring body, and a penetrating hole is formed at the center of the ring body, and the ring body has a n-shaped cross-section, and a bump is formed at an external side of the ring body, and provided for being embedded and latched into an internal side of a wall of the turntable.
Besides, the connecting component includes an installing element and a latch element, and the installing element includes a pivoting base and a plurality of latch notches. The installing element has an external periphery substantially larger than the connecting hole, such that the pivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole. The installing element is installed into the penetrating hole. The latch element includes a through hole and plurality of elastic latches, wherein after the pivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole and the through hole, the elastic latch is latched into the latch notch, and the pivoting base and the pivoting head are engaged with each other into a pivotal connection form, such that the turntable is clamped and fixed into the installing element and the latch element.
Furthermore, the connecting component is comprised of an installing body and at least one latching body, and the installing body is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head by a lug base formed at the top side of the installing body. A concave circular gutter is formed at an external periphery of the installing body, and the latching body is comprised of two symmetric casings, and the latching body includes an embedding semicircular necking portion disposed on the internal side of the latching body and opposite to the concave circular gutter, such that when the two latching bodies are integrated with each other, the two latching bodies are covered onto the external periphery of the concave circular gutter to define a structure capable of rotating in 360 degrees with respect to the handle. The latching body includes a plurality of latch portions disposed at the external periphery of the latching body and coupled with the plurality of latch holes disposed on the periphery of the connecting hole for installing and fixing the latching body and the turntable, so that the turntable can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to the installing body and the handle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a mop head in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of a mop head in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a mop head in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a mop head in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a rotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an exploded view of a rotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is an exploded view of a portion of a mop head of the present invention;

FIG. 3D is an exploded view of a portion of a mop head of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is another schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an assembled rotational mop in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B another schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a perspective view of installing a rotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of an assembled rotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a handle of a rotational mop in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1A for a mop head 20 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mop head 20 comprises: an installation disc 21, having at least one insert hole 211 and a penetrating hole 212; a circular gutter 213 disposed on a top side of the installation disc 21, wherein the top side of two gutter walls of the circular gutter 213 are substantially serrated structures 214; a plurality of cotton cloths 30 installed in the circular gutter 213 and the serrated structure 214, and an exploded view this structure which is the installation disc 21 before the serrated element 22 and the plurality of cotton cloths 30 are installed as shown in FIG. 3C, wherein the serrated element 22 is in an arc shape provided for being embedded into the circular gutter 213, and the serrated element 22 is installed between different insert holes 211. A concave shape 221 is formed at a bottom side of the serrated element 22, such that the plurality of cotton cloths 30 can be clamped and fixed into the circular gutter 213 by an M-shaped form as shown in FIG. 3D.
The concave shape 221 is provided for strengthening an engaging force for clamping and fixing the plurality of cotton cloths 30 into the circular gutter 213, while increasing the elastic space of the plurality of cotton cloths 30 along a longitudinal direction. The concave shape 221 can be either U-shape or V-shape as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D or any other irregular shape as shown in the figures, and the U-shape and the V-shape can be arranged equidistantly or non-equidistantly.
The turntable 23 includes a connecting hole 231 and at least one protruding pillar 232, wherein the protruding pillar 232 is installed at a position corresponding to the insert hole 211 for coupling the installation disc 21 and the turntable 23, wherein the serrated structure 214 is provided for increasing a frictional force between the turntable 23 and the installation disc 21 for enhancing the engaging force between the turntable 23 and the installation disc 21.
In this preferred embodiment, the protruding pillar 232 at the bottom of the turntable 23 is integrally formed with the turntable 23. The present invention is not limited to such arrangement only, but the protruding pillar 232 can be formed at the bottom side of a ring body 23 a independently as shown in FIG. 1B, and a penetrating hole 233 is formed at the center of the ring body 23 a, and the ring body has a substantially n-shaped cross-section, and a bump 234 formed at the external side of the ring body 23 a and provided for being embedded and latched into an internal side of a wall of the turntable 23.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively, wherein FIG. 2A shows that the installation disc 21 is fixed to the bottom side of the turntable 23, and FIG. 2B shows that the installation disc 21 is fixed into an n-shaped body at the bottom side of the ring body 23 a, and then the bump 234 at the external wall of the ring body 23 a is used for latching the bottom side of the turntable 23 which is fastened and positioned by the bottom edge of a wall 235. The advantage of the aforementioned structure resides on that if it is necessary to replace the cotton cloth 30, users simply remove the ring body 23 a without a need of removing the turntable 23.
From the aforementioned technical characteristics, it is known that the mop head 20 of the present invention adopts a M-shaped structure for engaging the cotton cloth 30 securely without the risk of falling out, in order to improve the using life of the mop, and cope with the use of different connecting components and handles, and a preferred embodiment of the invention is given below.
With reference to FIG. 3A for a schematic view of a rotational mop of the present invention, the rotational mop 100 comprises a handle 10, a mop head 20 and a plurality of cotton cloths 30, wherein the handle 10 is comprised of at least one section of rod 11, and a pivoting head 12 installed at an end of the handle 10 and pivotally coupled with the mop head 20, and the plurality of cotton cloths 30 are fixed at a bottom end of the mop head 20.
With reference to FIG. 3B for an exploded view of a rotational mop 100 of the present invention, the mop head 20 comprises an installation disc 21, at least one serrated element 22, a turntable 23 and a connecting component 29, for connecting the turntable with the pivoting head, such that the turntable can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to the handle.
The connecting component 29 further includes an installing element 24 and a latch element 25, and the installing element 24 includes a pivoting base 241 and a plurality of latch notches 242, wherein the installing element 24 has an external periphery slightly larger than the connecting hole 231, such that the pivoting base 241 is protruded from the connecting hole 23, and the installing element 24 is installed in the penetrating hole 212. The latch element 25 includes a through hole 251 and a plurality of elastic latches 252, wherein after the pivoting base 241 is protruded from the connecting hole 231 and the through hole 252, the pivoting base 241 is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head 12, and the elastic latch 252 is latched into the latch notch 242, such that the turntable 23 is clamped and fixed between the installing element 24 and the latch element 25, and the elastic latch 252 is fixed to a bottom edge of the latch element 25.
In this preferred embodiment, the pivoting base 241 can be a C-shaped buckle composed of an elastic structure, and the pivoting head 12 can be a circular bump corresponding to the C-shaped buckle.
With reference to FIG. 4A for a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the plurality of cotton cloths 30, the installation disc 21, the serrated element 22 and the turntable 23 are coupled, and the installing element 24 is installed in the penetrating hole 212, the pivoting base 241 is protruded out from the connecting hole 231 and the through hole 251, while the elastic latch 252 is latched into the latch notch 242 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the pivoting base 241 is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head 12.
With reference to FIG. 5 for a cross-sectional side view of an assembled rotational mop in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom edge of the turntable 23 can be used for pressing the serrated element 22, such that when the serrated element 22 is embedded into the circular gutter 213, the serrated element 22 cannot be moved in a longitudinal direction. The protruding pillar 232 is connected with the insert hole 211 by an adhering, latching, embedding, riveting, abutting, clamping or high-frequency welding method. The elastic latch 252 is an inverted hook device. In the rotational mop 100 of the present invention, the cotton cloth 30 can be rotated in 360 degrees together with the turntable 23 by the structural design of the mop head 20 and the cotton cloth 30.
In the rotational mop of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5, the mop head 20 further includes a bottom protective base 26 disposed at the bottom of the turntable 23, such that the bottom protective base 26 can be rotated together with the turntable 23. The bottom protective base 26 can be used for preventing the cotton cloth 30 from being rolled into the turntable 23 when the turntable 23 is rotated in 360 degrees due to the reaction force, so that the bottom protective base 26 can prevent a direct contact of the installing element 24 with the floor, so as to improve the using life of the installing element 24.
With reference to FIG. 6A for a schematic view of installing a rotational mop in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, numerals used for representing elements in this embodiment are the same as those used for the same elements or equivalent elements of the previous preferred embodiment, and thus will not be described here again. In this preferred embodiment, the connecting component 29 is comprised of an installing body 27 and at least one latching body 28, wherein the installing body 27 has a concave circular gutter 271 disposed at an external periphery of the installing body 27, and the installing body 27 pivotally coupled with the pivoting head 12 by a lug base 272 at the top side of the installing body 27 includes two lugs 12 a and screws 12 b extending into the lug base 272. The latching body 28 of this preferred embodiment is composed of two symmetric casings, and an internal side of the latching body 28 opposite to the concave circular gutter 271 is embedded with a semicircular necking portion 281, such that when the two latching bodies 28 are integrated with each other, the two latching bodies 28 are covered onto the concave circular gutter 271 as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C to constitute a structure capable of rotating in 360 degrees with respect to the handle 10. The latching body 28 has a plurality of latch portions 282 disposed at an external periphery of the latching body 28 and provided for connecting the plurality of latch holes 2311 formed at the periphery of the connecting hole 231 of the turntable 23, so that the installing body 27 and the latching body 28 are installed into the connecting hole 231.
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6C, wherein the latching body 28 and the turntable 23 are installed and fixed in such a way that the turntable 23 can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to the installing body and the handle.
The latching body 28 includes a plurality of connecting portions 283 coupled with one another and disposed at an end of the latching body 28 and corresponding to the internal side of the latching body 28, and the connecting portion 283 can be a protrusion or a recession, and coupled by an adhering, latching, embedding, riveting, abutting, clamping or high-frequency welding method.
With reference to FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a handle of a rotational mop in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle 10 of the rotational mop 100 can be formed by screwing a plurality of rods 11, and the handle 10 further includes a hanging loop 13 and at least one protective cover 14, wherein the hanging loop 13 is provided for facilitating users to hang the rotational mop 100 onto any accessory mechanism, and the protective cover 14 is provided for reducing the uncomfortable feeling of a user's grip.
With the special design of the rotational mop in accordance with this preferred embodiment, the cotton cloth can be rotated freely in 360 degrees, so that each portion of the cotton cloth on the mop head can be contact uniformly with the cleaning area, and users need not to change the direction of the handle for achieving a consistent cleaning effect of each cotton cloth, and users can rinse the mop head all at a time depending on the extent of dirtiness to save time for the user's mopping job.
Many changes and modifications in the above-described embodiments of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotational mop, comprising:

a) a handle, composed of at least one section of rod, and a pivoting head installed at an end of the handle;

b) a mop head, pivotally coupled to the pivoting head; and

c) a plurality of cotton cloths, fixed at a bottom end of the mop head; characterized in that the mop head further comprises:

i) an installation disc, having at least one insert hole and a penetrating hole formed thereon, a circular gutter disposed at the top side of the installation disc, wherein a top side of two gutter walls of the circular gutter is a serrated structure, and the cotton cloth is installed in the circular gutter and the serrated structure;

ii) at least one serrated element, provided for being embedded into the circular gutter, and the bottom side of the serrated element forming a concave shape, such that the plurality of cotton cloths are clamped and fixed into the circular gutter in a M-shaped form;

iii) a turntable, having a connecting hole disposed at the center of the turntable, and at least one protruding pillar disposed at the bottom of the turntable, and disposed at a position corresponding to the insert hole of the installation disc for coupling the protruding pillar with the insert hole; and

iv) a connecting component, for connecting the turntable with the pivoting head, such that the turntable is a structure capable of rotating 360 degrees with respect to the handle, and the cotton cloth can be driven to rotate 360 degrees together with the turntable.

2. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar disposed at the bottom side of the turntable is integrally formed with the turntable.

3. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar disposed at bottom side of the turntable is formed independently at the bottom side of a ring body, and a penetrating hole is formed at the center of the ring body, and the ring body has a n-shaped cross-section, and a bump is formed at an external side of the ring body, and provided for being embedded and latched into an internal side of a wall of the turntable.

4. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the connecting component includes an installing element and a latch element, and the installing element includes a pivoting base and a plurality of latch notches, and the installing element has an external periphery substantially larger than the connecting hole, such that the pivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole, and the installing element is installed into the penetrating hole; and the latch element includes a through hole and plurality of elastic latches, wherein after the pivoting base is protruded out from the connecting hole and the through hole, the elastic latch is latched into the latch notch, and the pivoting base and the pivoting head are engaged with each other into a pivotal connection form, such that the turntable is clamped and fixed into the installing element and the latch element.

5. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the connecting component is comprised of an installing body and at least one latching body, and the installing body is pivotally coupled to the pivoting head by a lug base formed at the top side of the installing body, and a concave circular gutter is formed at an external periphery of the installing body, and the latching body is comprised of two symmetric casings, and the latching body includes an embedding semicircular necking portion disposed on the internal side of the latching body and opposite to the concave circular gutter, such that when the two latching bodies are integrated with each other, the two latching bodies are covered onto the external periphery of the concave circular gutter to define a structure capable of rotating in 360 degrees with respect to the handle, and the latching body includes a plurality of latch portions disposed at the external periphery of the latching body and coupled with the plurality of latch holes disposed on the periphery of the connecting hole for installing and fixing the latching body and the turntable, so that the turntable can be rotated in 360 degrees with respect to the installing body and the handle.

6. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the serrated element formed in an arc shape is installed between different insert holes.

7. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the protruding pillar is connected with the insert hole by an adhering, latching, embedding, riveting, abutting, clamping or high-frequency welding method.

8. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the handle is created by screwing a plurality of rods, and a protective cover is positioned at the top of the handle.

9. The rotational mop of claim 1, wherein the mop head further includes a bottom protective base disposed at the bottom of the turntable, such that the bottom protective base can be rotated together with the turntable.

10. The rotational mop of claim 4, wherein the pivoting base is an elastic structure.

11. The rotational mop of claim 4, wherein the pivoting base is a C-shaped buckle, and the pivoting head is a circular bump corresponding to the C-shaped buckle.

12. The rotational mop of claim 4, wherein the pivoting base is formed in a shape of a lug base while the pivoting head consists of two lugs and a screw extending into the lug base.