US20150351603A1 - Flexible surface cleaning device - Google Patents
Flexible surface cleaning device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20150351603A1 US20150351603A1 US14/297,684 US201414297684A US2015351603A1 US 20150351603 A1 US20150351603 A1 US 20150351603A1 US 201414297684 A US201414297684 A US 201414297684A US 2015351603 A1 US2015351603 A1 US 2015351603A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- lock
- handle
- pin
- eye member
- elongate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
- A47L13/20—Mops
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25G—HANDLES FOR HAND IMPLEMENTS
- B25G1/00—Handle constructions
- B25G1/04—Handle constructions telescopic; extensible; sectional
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)
Abstract
Disclosed is a mop with a bendable handle member. The mop comprises a mop head and a handle member comprising elongate top and bottom handle segments coupled by a knuckle joint comprising conventional single and double eye members. An elongate lock pin that axially and longitudinally extends through the double eye member is movable between a forward lock position, where the lock pin engages the single eye member so as to lock the angular position between the top and the bottom handle segments, and a backward unlock position, where the lock pin is disposed within the double eye member disengaged from the single eye member.
Description
- This application claims benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/838,810, filed Jun. 24, 2013, entitled “Flexible Hinged Handle Dust Mop”, owned by the assignee of the present application and herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention relates to manually operated surface cleaning devices and more particularly, to a surface cleaning device that employs a handle that not only can be bent (or folded) any angle but also can be locked at the bent angle.
- A conventional surface cleaning device, a mop, basically comprises a mop head that actually cleans the surfaces by contact, and a handle about which the mop is operated by a user. Although, the mop head is pivotally connected to handle, the handle itself is rigid as it generally comprises a unitary piece made of plastic, wood, lightweight metal, etc. This general unitary construction of the mop is hassle-free when dealing with free spaces. But, when it comes to cleaning tight or hard-to-reach spaces such as, underneath a couch, table, etc., the handle restricts the egress of the mop head into those tight spaces. As a result, the user has to bend or even crouch so as to further tilt and, at the same time, control the handle in order to clean the tight spaces. This clearly is a great inconvenience.
- In the light of what is discussed above, there is long felt need in the art for a solution for the aforementioned problem.
- The present invention comprises a manually-operated, flexible cleaning device comprising a mop head pivotally connected to a flexible or bendable handle member. More particularly, the handle member is divided into top and bottom handle segment that are coupled together by means of a knuckle joint. Not only the cleaning device, by virtue of the knuckle joint allows for the angular movement of the top and bottom handle segments with respect to one another, but also enables the user to lock the handle member at an angular position of 180 degrees by engaging a lock pin within a lock hole wherein, the lock pin and lock hole are disposed within and on the knuckle joint itself. Having the handle member to bend (or fold) prevents the user from bending in order to reach the aforesaid tight spaces as the handle member bent to a desired angle (say, 90 degrees) can be easily used for reaching the tight spaces.
- Other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the surface cleaning device. -
FIG. 2 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of pivot joint connecting the mop head and the handle member. -
FIG. 3 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective of the mop head. -
FIG. 4 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the handle member. -
FIG. 5 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of the knuckle joint connecting the top and bottom handle segments. -
FIG. 6 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of the pin handle recess. -
FIG. 7 , according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the handle member. -
FIG. 8 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the knuckle joint. -
FIG. 9 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the double eye member. -
FIG. 10 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a side sectional view of the double eye member. -
FIG. 11 , according to the embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the single eye member. -
FIG. 12 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of another perspective view of the single eye member. -
FIG. 13 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the lock member. -
FIG. 14 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of the lock member assembled into the spring-loaded bracket. -
FIG. 15 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective sectional view of the handle member. -
FIG. 16 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective side view of the handle member. -
FIG. 17 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of the handle member bent at right angles. -
FIG. 18 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the surface cleaning device with the lock sleeve. -
FIG. 19 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a perspective view of the lock sleeve. -
FIG. 20 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a top view of the lock sleeve. -
FIG. 21 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is a closer view of the lock sleeve in unlock position. -
FIG. 22 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a side sectional view of the handle member with the lock sleeve in unlock position. -
FIG. 23 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is a closer view of the lock sleeve in lock position. -
FIG. 24 , according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, is an illustration of a side sectional view of the handle member with the lock sleeve in lock position. -
- 10—Surface Cleaning Device
- 12—Mop Head
- 14—Handle Member
- 16—Pivot Joint
- 18—Mop Material
- 20—Mop Holder
- 22—Top Handle Segment
- 24—Bottom Handle Segment
- 26—Knuckle Joint
- 28—Pin Handle Recess
- 30—Double Eye Member
- 32—Single Eye Member
- 34—Knuckle Pin
- 36—Top Knuckle Rod
- 38—Side Extension Member
- 40—Side Hole
- 42—Lock Recess
- 44—Bottom Knuckle Rod
- 46—Central Extension Member
- 48—Central Hole
- 50—Lock Hole
- 52—Lock Member
- 54—Lock Pin
- 56—Pin Handle
- 58—Spring-loaded Bracket
- 60—Lock Sleeve
- 62—Lock Sleeve Recess
- In the following detailed description, a reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which the specific embodiments that may be practiced is shown by way of illustration. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and it is to be understood that the logical, mechanical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense.
- Referring to
FIGS. 1 through 3 , the present invention comprises a manually-operated, flexiblesurface cleaning device 10 that is specifically designed to reach tight spaces such as, underneath a couch, table, etc., thereby negating the need for the user thereof to bend over (so as to reach the tight spaces). Thedevice 10 comprises amop head 12 and ahandle member 14 wherein, thehandle member 14 is connected to themop head 12 centrally. More particularly, themop head 12 is connected to thehandle member 14 by means of a pivot joint 16 as seen inFIG. 2 . In one embodiment, themop head 12 may be connected to thehandle member 14 by means of a ball joint so as to allow for rotation and angular movement along multiple planes. Referring particularly toFIG. 3 , themop head 12 further comprises amop material 18, which comprises an absorbent material, such as, sponge, yarn, etc., and amop holder 20 for holding themop material 18. Themop holder 20 is preferably rectangular in shape so as to reach corners. Themop holder 20 is preferably made of a plastic material. - Referring to
FIGS. 4 through 6 , thehandle member 14 comprises elongate, tubular, top andbottom handle segments bottom handle segment 24 and the bottom extremity of thetop handle 22 segment are connected together by a knuckle joint 26 (as seen inFIG. 5 ), which, as well known in the art, allows for the angular movement of the top andbottom handle segments bottom handle segments top handle segment 22 comprises an elongatepin handle recess 28 disposed on the exterior surface thereof wherein, the utility of thepin handle recess 28 will become apparent from the following body of text. In one embodiment, as seen inFIG. 7 , thetop handle segment 22 is configured to be telescopically expandable and retractable in order to suit the individual height preferences of a user. The top andbottom handle segments - Referring to
FIGS. 5 , and 8 through 10, the knuckle joint 26 comprises a topdouble eye member 30, a bottomsingle eye member 32 and aknuckle pin 34 for coupling the single anddouble eye members double eye member 32, as well known in the art, comprises atop knuckle rod 36 and a pair ofside extension members 38 integrally and longitudinally extending from thetop knuckle rod 36. Eachside extension member 38 comprises acircular side hole 40 wherein, the axis passing through the center of the side holes 40 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thetop knuckle rod 36. Thedouble eye member 30 further comprises a centrally disposed, thorough, elongate,longitudinal lock recess 42 disposed therein. - Referring to
FIGS. 5 , 8, 11 and 12, thesingle eye member 32, as well known in the art, comprises abottom knuckle rod 44 and acentral extension member 46 integrally and longitudinally extending from thebottom knuckle rod 44. Thecentral extension member 46 comprises a circularcentral hole 48 such that, the axis passing through the center of thecentral hole 48 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thebottom knuckle rod 44. Thecentral extension member 46 further comprises alock hole 50 disposed thereon wherein, the axis passing through the centre of thelock hole 50 is perpendicular to the axis passing through the centre of thecentral hole 48 as see clearly inFIG. 12 . The utility of thelock hole 50 will become apparent from the following body of text. In order to assemble the knuckle joint 26, thecentral extension member 46 is received between the pair of side extension members 38 (FIG. 9 ) such that, the side holes 40 (FIG. 9 ) are aligned with thecentral hole 48. Theknuckle pin 34 is received with the aligned holes and thereafter secured therewithin by means of a knuckle collar (not shown) and suitable fasteners (not shown). Notably, as the knuckle joint 26 is assembled, thelock hole 50 is adapted to align with thelock recess 42 when the angular position between the single anddouble eye members - Referring to
FIGS. 9 , 10, 13, and 14 through 16, the handle member further comprises an L-shapedlock member 52, which further is divided into anelongate lock pin 54 and an elongate pin handle 56 which are integral and at right angles with respect to one another. A rear portion of the lock pin 54 (towards the pin handle 56) is disposed within spring-loadedbracket 58, while a front portion of thelock pin 54 is snugly and slidably received within thelock recess 42. The pin handle 56 is received within thepin handle recess 28 as thelock pin 54 is received within thelock recess 42 whereby, the sliding movement of thelock pin 54 within thelock recess 42 is manually controlled by the to-and-fro movement pin handle 56 within thepin handle recess 28. Therefore, as the pin handle 56 is slid within thepin handle recess 28, thelock pin 54 is simultaneously slid within thelock recess 42. Thelock pin 54 is movable between an unlock position, where the pin handle 56 is at a proximal extremity of thepin handle recess 28 and thelock pin 54 is entirely within thelock recess 42 disengaged from thelock hole 50, and a lock position, where a front portion of thelock pin 54, upon alignment with thelock hole 50, is received with alock hole 50, while the rest of thelock pin 54 is within thelock recess 42. - Notably, the spring-loaded
bracket 58 causes thelock member 52 to be biased towards the lock position. In the lock position (as depicted inFIGS. 15 and 16 ), as thelock pin 54 is received within thelock hole 50, the angle between the top andbottom handle segments lock pin 54 is retracted by the pin handle 56 into the unlock position. In order to utilize thehandle member 14, the pin handle is retracted into unlock position and the top andbottom handle segments FIG. 17 . - Referring to
FIGS. 18 through 20 , in one embodiment, thehandle member 14 comprises acylindrical lock sleeve 60 snugly and slidably disposed thereover. Thelock sleeve 60, as can be appreciated fromFIGS. 19 and 20 , comprises an elongate rectangularlock sleeve recess 62 disposed thereon wherein, the utility of thelock sleeve recess 62 will become apparent from the following body of text. - Referring to
FIGS. 21 through 24 , thelock sleeve 60 is operably coupled to the pin handle 56 as thepin hand 56 extends through thelock sleeve recess 62 whereby, the pin handle 56 is operated (for retraction) by manually sliding thelock sleeve 60 backwards (i.e., away from the knuckle joint). More particularly, the pin handle 56 abuts a front extremity of thelock sleeve recess 62 as thelock sleeve 60 is slid backwards. On the other hand, at lock position, sliding thelock sleeve 60 forward till the pin handle 56 abuts a rear extremity of thelock sleeve recess 62 causes thelock sleeve 60 to slide over the knuckle joint in order to conceal the same as seen inFIG. 23 . - The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
- Although the embodiments herein are described with various specific embodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art to practice the invention with modifications. However, all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the claims.
Claims (18)
1. A surface cleaning device comprising:
(a) a mop head; and
(b) a handle member comprising:
(i) an elongate top handle segment;
(ii) an elongate bottom handle segment, a bottom extremity of the bottom handle segment connected to the mop head; and
(iii) a knuckle joint connecting the top and bottom handle segments, the knuckle joint comprising:
(1) a top double eye member connected to a bottom extremity of the top handle segment; and
(2) a bottom single eye member connected to a top extremity of the bottom handle segment;
(c) an elongate lock pin; and
wherein, the lock pin is movable between a forward lock position, where the lock pin, while extending through the double eye member, engages the single eye member at at least one lock point thereon so as to lock the angular position between the top and the bottom handle segments, and a backward unlock position, where the lock pin is disposed within the double eye member disengaged from the single eye member.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein, the lock pin is biased towards the lock position.
3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a pin handle extending from the lock pin, the pin handle for retracting the lock pin to the unlock position.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein, the pin handle integrally extends from the lock pin.
5. The device of claim 3 wherein, the pin handle is at right angles with respect to the lock pin.
6. The device of claim 3 wherein, the pin handle extends from an extremity of the lock pin.
7. The device of claim 3 wherein, the pin handle is slidably disposed within an elongate pin handle recess, which is disposed on the exterior surface of the top handle segment, the pin handle recess defined between a proximal end and a distal end wherein, in the lock position, the pin handle is at the distal end of the pin handle recess, and wherein, in the unlock position, the pin handle is at the proximal end of the pin handle recess.
8. The device of claim 3 further comprising a lock sleeve slidably disposed over the handle member, the lock sleeve disposed in operative connection with the pin handle whereby, the pin handle can be operated by manually sliding the lock sleeve.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein, the double eye member comprises a thorough, elongate longitudinal lock recess, within which, the lock pin is slidably disposed.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein, each of the at least one lock point is radially aligned with respect to the eye of the single eye member.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein, the mop head is pivotally secured to the handle member.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein, the top handle segment is telescopically built so as to be extended or retracted to suit individual height preferences.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein, each of the top and bottom handle segments is tubular.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein, the at least one lock point comprises one lock point.
15. The device of claim 15 wherein, the lock point comprises a lock hole for slidably receiving the lock pin therewithin.
16. The device of claim 15 wherein, the angular position between the top and the bottom handle segments at the lock position comprises 180 degrees.
17. The device of claim 1 wherein, the knuckle pin prevents the angular movement beyond 180 degrees.
18. A surface cleaning device comprising:
(a) a mop head; and
(b) a handle member comprising:
(i) an elongate top handle segment;
(ii) an elongate bottom handle segment, a bottom extremity of the bottom handle segment connected to the mop head; and
(iii) a knuckle joint connecting the top and bottom handle segments, the knuckle joint comprising:
(1) a top double eye member connected to a bottom extremity of the top handle segment, the double eye member comprising a thorough, elongate longitudinal lock recess; and
(2) a bottom single eye member connected to a top extremity of the bottom handle segment, the single eye member comprising at least one lock hole disposed thereon such that, the at least one lock hole is radially aligned with the eye thereof;
(c) an elongate lock pin slidably disposed within the lock recess; and
(d) an elongate pin handle extending from the lock pin;
wherein, the lock pin is movable between a forward lock position, where the lock pin, while extending through the double eye member, engages the single eye member at a lock point thereon so as to lock the angular position between the top and the bottom handle segments, and a backward unlock position, where the lock pin is disposed within the double eye member disengaged from the single eye member, the lock pin biased towards the lock position, the lock pin retractable by the pin handle into the unlock position.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/297,684 US20150351603A1 (en) | 2013-06-24 | 2014-06-06 | Flexible surface cleaning device |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361838810P | 2013-06-24 | 2013-06-24 | |
US14/297,684 US20150351603A1 (en) | 2013-06-24 | 2014-06-06 | Flexible surface cleaning device |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20150351603A1 true US20150351603A1 (en) | 2015-12-10 |
Family
ID=52213635
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/297,684 Abandoned US20150351603A1 (en) | 2013-06-24 | 2014-06-06 | Flexible surface cleaning device |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20150351603A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN104224065A (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2019154457A (en) * | 2018-03-07 | 2019-09-19 | 花王株式会社 | Cleaning tool |
USD915703S1 (en) | 2019-05-28 | 2021-04-06 | Unger Marketng International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
USD922712S1 (en) | 2019-01-28 | 2021-06-15 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
USD968738S1 (en) * | 2022-02-01 | 2022-11-01 | Ningbo Mopp Commidity Co., Ltd | Mop |
US11576550B2 (en) | 2018-05-29 | 2023-02-14 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
USD1015668S1 (en) | 2019-05-28 | 2024-02-20 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Floor cleaning system |
-
2014
- 2014-06-06 US US14/297,684 patent/US20150351603A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2014-06-23 CN CN201410283559.XA patent/CN104224065A/en active Pending
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2019154457A (en) * | 2018-03-07 | 2019-09-19 | 花王株式会社 | Cleaning tool |
JP7040961B2 (en) | 2018-03-07 | 2022-03-23 | 花王株式会社 | Cleaning tool |
US11576550B2 (en) | 2018-05-29 | 2023-02-14 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
US11759085B2 (en) | 2018-05-29 | 2023-09-19 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Floor cleaning system |
US11896180B2 (en) | 2018-05-29 | 2024-02-13 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Floor cleaning system |
USD922712S1 (en) | 2019-01-28 | 2021-06-15 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
USD915703S1 (en) | 2019-05-28 | 2021-04-06 | Unger Marketng International, Llc | Flat headed mop |
USD1015668S1 (en) | 2019-05-28 | 2024-02-20 | Unger Marketing International, Llc | Floor cleaning system |
USD968738S1 (en) * | 2022-02-01 | 2022-11-01 | Ningbo Mopp Commidity Co., Ltd | Mop |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN104224065A (en) | 2014-12-24 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |