US2834974A

US2834974A - Sponge mop having spring operator

Info

Publication number: US2834974A
Application number: US462493A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nathaniel B Greenleaf
Original assignee: SPONGE PRODUCTS CORP
Current assignee: SPONGE PRODUCTS Corp
Priority date: 1954-10-15
Filing date: 1954-10-15
Publication date: 1958-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 1975-05-20

Description

y 1953 N. B. GREENLEAF 2,834,974

SPONGE MOP HAVING SPRING OPERATOR Filed Oct. 15, 1954 v E NT 0 R NATHANIEL B. GREENLEAF' United States P e SPONGE MOP HAVING SPRING OPERATOR Nathaniel B. Greenleaf, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Sponge Products Corporation Chicago, Ill.

Application October 15, i1954,-Serial No. 462,493

8 Claims. (Cl. 15119) This invention relates to improvements in mQPS, and more particularly to improvements in sponge mops of' the type wherein a sponge element is carried on a pair of pivotal plates mounted to swing between .a substantially aligned mopping position and a parallel closed or wringing position, wherein the sponge element is folded on itself and compressed to force out the water therein.

In sponge mops of this type there is a tendency under mopping for the sponge carrying plates to swing towards the closed or wringing position which is annoying to the user and prevents optimum use of the sponge by restricting the sponge area on the floor.

In addition, with mops of this type the operator may not be aware when the sponge carrying plates are at their fully open or fully closed position and the plate operating mechanism may be damaged, forinstance, by attempting to exert abnormal pressures in the wringing action.

It is therefore the object or" this invention to overcome the above objections. In particular, it is the object-to provide a mop in which the sponge carrying plates are firmly and resiliently held in the aligned mopping posi tion, precluding closure under mopping action.

Again, it is an object to provide a mop wherein the sponge carrying plates swing between fixed ascertainable limits when moving'between wringing-and moppingpositions with the plates being actuated as they approach the wringing and mopping positions to snap into position signalling to the operator that the respective position has been reached.

A further object is to provide a mop as aforesaid of simple and sturdy construction.

The principal feature of the inventionresides in operating the pivoted or hinged sponge plates by means of an operating mechanism connected to the plates by links disposed in angular relation to the plates, the links moving relative to the plates to define a minimum angle with the plates at a position intermediately between the mopping and wringing positions, and providing spring devices acting to increase the angle defined between the links and plates. With this arrangement the spring devices serve the dual function of snapping the plates when they are moved beyond an over centre position to either the .final wringing or the fully extended positions, thereby both assisting in the wringing and resiliently maintainingthe plates extended.

Another feature resides in providing =a=simple arrangement of stops to positively define the limit positions to which the sponge plates are snapped by the spring devices.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a mop constructed in accordance with the invention with one side of the mop being broken away.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the lower portion of the mop with portions in section showing the sponge plates swung to the wringing position.

Figure 3 is a plan section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary part front elevahand grip s15.

1 Ice 2,834,974

Patented May 20, 19,58

As illustrated in Figure 5, the sockets 2 carry end flanges 5' through which extends a pivot pin 6, which also passes through the flanges 4 of the plate 3 at each side of the socket to form the pivotal connection between the handle structure and sponge plates.

The 'fianges 4 of the sponge plates enter notches 7 in the socket as also illustrated in Figure 5, and the down ward projections 8 carried by the socket at each side thereof engage the plates 3 to limit their pivotal movement in an upward direction to the position shown in Figures 5 and 4 particularly. The sponge plates 3 are thus supported from the lower end of the handle structure to swing between a generally aligned mopping position as illustrated in Figure l and a substantially parallel wringing position as illustrated in Figure 2 in which a sponge element 9 secured to the sponge plates by wing nuts 10 is folded on itself and compressed together to force out the water therefrom.

The means for swinging the sponge plates 3 comprises a slide mechanism generally designated at 11, formed by a lower slide member 12 connected by bars 13 and collar 14- to an upper slide member in the form of a tubular The lower slide member 12 carries downwardly extending and outwardly diverging arms or bars '16 which constitute with the lower slide member a yoke device. Pivotally connected to the ends of the arms or bars 16 are links 17 which in turn are pivotally con nected by pins 18 with the sponge plates 3.

Each of the links 17 comprises a relatively heavy gauge sheet metal materialfolded to provide an upper channel 19 and a pair of outwardly diverging legs 20 depending from the channel as shown particularly in Figure 5 and also in Figure 1. The lower ends of the arms or bars 16 of the yoke device are received and pivotally secured in the channels 19 while the pins 18 extend through the legs 20 and flanges 4 of the sponge plates 3.

Associated with each sponge plate 3 and link 17 connected thereto is a spring element shown in Figuresl to 4'as a strip of spring metal 21 which has one end provided with an upturned flange 22 hearing on the upper surface of the-sponge plate, an intermediate portion 23 passing around the pin 18 forming the connection between the sponge plate and link, and the other end formed with a tip 24 engaging the channel 19 with the tip entered between the walls of the channel to locate the spring. With this arrangement the spring acts on the sponge plate and link in a direction to increase the angle a formed therebetween.

As illustrated particularly in Figure 4 when the sponge plate 3 is swung from the outwardly extended mopping position shown in solid lines to the full wringing position shown in dotted lines, the angle formed between the sponge plate 3 and the link 17 first decreases to a minimum at an intermediate position asillustrated in Figure 4 in the intermediate dotted line position, and subsequently increases.

Because of this change in the angle a as the sponge plate 3 progresses through its movements the spring is first compressed to increase the bend of its intermediate portion 23 thereby increasingthe tension in the spring until the intermediate dotted line position is reached. Thereafter the bend of the intermediate spring portion 23 is allowed to decrease and the spring assists in the swinging of the sponge plate to the full wringing position. Thus, in effect, an over centre spring action is achieved in which the spring acts on the sponge plate 3 and link 17 to snap the sponge plate to the fully extended mopping position or full wringing position depending on which side of the over centre or intermediate position which occurs when the pivots 6 and the pins connecting the arms 16 and links 17 are in horizontal alignment shown by the intermediate dotted lines of Figure 4.

The legs 20 of the links 17 are formed with pointed toes 25 which when the plates 3 reach the full wringing position shown in dotted line in Figure 4 and shown in Figure 2 firmly seat on the plates forming a positive limit for further relative movement of the sponge plates and links thereby forming a positive limit in the closing or wringing movement of the sponge plates. The projections 8 form the positive limits for the opening movement for the sponge plates 3, and the plates are snapped between these limit positions by the springs 21 as the plates are operated by the slide mechanism 11.

In Figure 5 a modified form of spring is shown as at 26 comprising a coil spring coiled on the pin 18 and having one leg 27 hearing on the sponge plate 3 and another leg 28 bearing against the channel portion 19 of the link 17. The set of the spring 26 is such as to act to increase the angle a defined between the link 17 and sponge plate 3 as above described.

It will be understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a mop having a pair of oppositely disposed sponge carrying plates pivotally supported at the lower end of a handle structure to swing between a substantially aligned mopping position and a substantially parallel wringing position, means for actuating each of said plates comprising a link pivotally connected to and forming an angle with each plate, and means operating on said link, each link in moving its plate from mopping to wringing position moving first to decrease the contained angle formed between the inner end of each plate and link and subsequently to increase the said contained angle, and means conforming to the changing angle between and biasing each link and plate as some move from mopping to wringing position to increase the said contained angle therebetween, whereby said last-mentioned means acts to bias each plate in mopping and full wringing positions. V

2. In a mop having a pair of oppositely disposed sponge carrying plates pivotally supported at the lower end of a handle structure to swing between a substantially aligned mopping position and a substantially parallel wringing position, and means to swing said plates comprising a link pivotally connected to each of said plates and to a'member slidable longitudinally of the handle, each link defining with the inner end of each plate a contained angle which first decreases as the plate swings from its mopping position towards its wringing position and subsequently increasing as the plate nears its wringing position and spring means conforming to the changing angle between each link and plate and urging each link and plate in a direction to increase the contained angle therebetween.

3. In a mop having a pair of oppositely disposed sponge carrying plates pivotally connected at their adjacent ends to the lower end of a handle structure to swing between a substantially aligned mopping position and a substantially parallel wringing position, means for actuating each of said plates comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to said plates at points displaced outwardly of their adjacent ends and a yoke slidable longitudinally of said handle and pivotally connected to said links, each of said links in actuating its respective plate from mopping to wringing positions under sliding of said yoke forming a contained angle with the inner end of its plate which first decreases and subsequently increases, and a spring member engaging each of said links and its respective plate and conforming to the changing angle therebetween and acting to increase the contained angle formed therebetween.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which each of said links comprises a single strip bent intermediately of its length to form a pair of spaced apart legs pivotally con- L. nectcd to its respective plate with said legs converging at their ends remote from the plate connection to a channel, and said yoke comprises a slide carrying a pair of downwardly extending and outwardly diverging arms the lower ends of which are pivotally connected within the channels presented by said links.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 in which the ends of said spaced apart legs at said plates are formed with angled toes to contact said plates upon said plates swinging to said wringing position to limit relative swinging of said links and plates to a predetermined maximum angle therebetween at the wringing position.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 in which said plates and handle structure are formed with cooperating stop surfaces to limit relative swing of said plates and links to a predetermined maximum angle therebetween at the mopping position.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which each of said links comprises a single strip bent intermediately of its length to form a pair of spaced apart legs pivotally connected by a pin extending through said legs and flanges formed on its respective plate with said legs converging at their ends remote from the plate connection to a channel, and said yoke comprises a slide carrying a pair of downwardly extending and outwardly diverging arms the lower ends of which are pivotally connected within the channels presented by said links, and said spring members comprise a bent strip of spring material having one end interengaging the channel of each link, the other end bearing on the respective plate to which the link is pivoted, and an intermediate portion of said strip being bent around and located by said pin.

8. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which each of said links comprises a single strip bent intermediately of its length to form a pair of spaced apart legs pivotally connected by a pin extending through said legs and flanges formed on its respective plate with said legs converging at their ends remote from the plate connection to a channel, and said yoke comprises a slide carrying a pair of downwardly extending and outwardly diverging arms the lower ends of which are pivotally connected within the channels presented by said links, and said spring members comprise coiled springs coiled on said pins and each having one end bearing on the respective plate to which the link is pivoted and the other end engaging in the channel of its respective link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 603,999 Ballam May 10, 1898 2,706,303 Ours Apr. 9, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 76,184 Norway Jan. 30, 1950 216,565; 1 Germany Nov. 24, 1909 617,197 Germany Aug. 14, 1935