US3056989A

US3056989A - Dusting tool

Info

Publication number: US3056989A
Application number: US685364A
Authority: US
Inventors: James J Murphy
Original assignee: Chicopee Manufacturing Corp
Current assignee: Chicopee Manufacturing Corp
Priority date: 1957-09-18
Filing date: 1957-09-18
Publication date: 1962-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 1979-10-09

Description

J. J. MURPHY Oct. 9, 1962 DUSTING TOOL INVENTOR JIM Jfl/VAP/Y) B Maw ATTORNEY 2 SheetsSheet l Filed Sept. 18, 1957 Oct. 9, 1962 J. J. MURPHY DUSTING TOOL Filed Sept. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR Jami-'6 Mam /n4 52 i wa ATTO R N EY United States Patent 3,956,989 DUSTING T901.

James 35. Murphy, Stamford, Conn, assignor to Chicopee Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 18, 1957. Ser. No. 685,364 Claims. (Cl. -231) This invention relates to a cleaning tool, and more particularly concerns a floor dusting tool for use with flexible dusting means such as a wiping cloth or dust cloth for example. The cleaning tool of this invention is particularly advantageous for use in connection with flexible dusting cloths which have been treated with dust and soil absorbent substances such as mineral oil or the like.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 529,105, filed in the United States Patent Oflice on August 18, 1955. This application since has been abandoned.

It is an object of this invention to provide a convenient economical tool for cleaning or dusting a soiled surface. It is another object to provide a tool for use with a readily adjustable and readily detachable wiping cloth which is easy to manipulate in use. Still another object is to provide a tool of this character having means for maintaining a dusting or cleaning cloth firmly in fixed position on the working head of the tool but wherein a soiled portion of the cloth may be replaced quickly and easily by a clean portion of the cloth. Other objects of this invention are to provide a dusting and cleaning tool of this character wherein the cloth is retained on the tool without piercing or otherwise damaging the cloth, and wherein, incidental to the mere use of the tool, the cloth is held firmly against the surface being cleaned. Still another object is to provide efficient cleaning means for surfaces that are rough or uneven.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, including the simplicity and economy of the same, will appear in further detail hereinafter and in the drawings whereof:

FIGURE 1 represents a fragmentary top plan View of one embodiment of the invention with certain parts broken away for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 2 is a similar bottom plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, along the line 1111 of FIG. 1, showing a cleaning cloth in position for use;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 3 showing the installation of a cloth on the tool of this device;

FIG. 5 represents a schematic fragmentary top plan view of a different embodiment of a device according to this invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic isometric view of the device of FIG. 5, showing a dusting cloth before and after installation thereon;

FIG. 7 is a somewhat enlarged isometric and sectional view of a cut-away portion of the tool of FIG. 5, showing the way in which a dusting cloth may be tucked inside the flanged boot of this figure;

FIG. 8 is a view, similar to FIG. 7, showing a somewhat different embodiment of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is an isometric and sectional view of the same portion of the device of FIG. 8 with certain parts removed for the sake of clarity.

Turning now to the specific embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings, the cleaning tool comprises generally a head member to which is attached a universal joint 21 which in turn is connected to a handle 22.

The head member 20 includes a frame 53 formed of hollow tubing of a light, tough material such as an aluminum alloy. The frame 53 is substantially rectangular in form. Affixed to the frame by means of upwardly extending bead 24 is a pan 25 which is preferably constructed of a suitable metal. The universal joint 21 is affixed to the pan 25 through the plate 27 which is suitably attached to the joint 21 and screwed to the pan 25.

Attached to the upper face of pan 25 is a threading rack 43 which comprises duplicate threading rods 46 located, one at each side of the pan; The rack 43.continues across the ends of pan 25 under a hinge attachment 47 applied at each end of the pan along its lengthwise center line.

The flexible attachment of rack 43 to pan 25 in the manner shown in FIGS. 14 facilitates the insertion of the ends ofa dusting cloth 52 under the threading rods 46, first on one side and then on the other by virtue of the fact that rack 43 can be tilted about the longitudinal axis of pan 25. This tilting arrangement also minimizes interference between rack 43 and the handle assembly, including universal joint 21, when cleaning under low objects because should contact occur between rack 43 and the handle assembly, the rack tilts or pivots about hinges 47 to comply with the position the handle assembly is placed by the user.

Referring to FruS. 1-4, there is shown a resilient boot 51 fitting over the pan 25 and a novel method of installing a cleaning cloth 52 on the threading rack 43. The resilient boot, which in this embodiment preferably consists of a vinyl sponge material covered with a relatively abrasion resistant noncellular vinyl outer skin, presents a rectangular bottom surface having substantially squared corners 54. The bottom surface of the boot comprises a multiplicity of nubs or projections 55 closely spaced in more or less staggered relation to one another. Deeper cuts or discontinuous grooves 56 separate the projections from one another in a longitudinal direction. The cuts 56 are slightly inclined to the ends of the tool and substantially parallel to one another in each of the longitudinally extending rows or courses of projections 55. In the bottom surfaces of the larger projections near the center of the tool are inclined slits 57 which may give the projections greater extendability. Adjacent the borders of the tool are somewhat rectangular projections 58 which are regularly spaced from one another and more or less aligned with the adjacent edge of the tool to provide a substantial-1y straight, yet interrupted, ridge of projections along each edge of the tool. The relieved area 59 surrounding the projections 58 in the ridge may be roughly at the same level as the bottom of the deeper grooves 56 between the projections 55. Thus, between the aforesaid projections 55 there is provided an interconnected maze of grooves or passages having outlets in the spaces between the projections 58 comprising the aforesaid ridges. In operation, the multiplicity of

projections

55 and 58 act to work the portion of the dusting cloth 52, with which they are in contactginto the cracks or irregularities of the surface being cleaned, and the interconnected grooves between them allow dirt to pass into the cloth underneath the tool thereby improving the efficiency of the tool and preventing the dirt from collecting along the edges of the boot 51.

Referirng more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, the upwardly extending portions 61 of the boot 51 continue around the beaded edges 24 of the pan 25 until they are almost in contact with the top of the pan itself, thereby forming a continuous lip 62 which positively engages the bead 24 along its length. Also, the lip provides resilient means for engaging the dusting cloth 52 beaoaases will be described more fully hereinafter, The cloth 52- which may be of woven or nonwoven material, or even paper, is installed on the tool by tilting the rack 43 about its hinge members 47, as. shown in FIG. 4, and successively inserting the free: opposite edges of the cloth 52 underneath the rod 46 which. is at that time tilted up. After the opposite edges of the cloth are inserted in this way, the rack is adjusted to a level position so that the cloth 52 is yieldably held between the rods 46- and the resilient lip 62 of the boot, as at 64. If a cloth is employed which is longer than the tool, its edges may be gathered somewhat as they are inserted under the rods as described above to form the cloth into a bag-like enclosure around the tool. In use, the tool flattens the bag as it is pressed against the surface to be cleaned, holding a portion of the cloth under the tool and in working position. Of course, those portions of the cloth which are not under the tool, and yet are adjacent its bottom edges and more or less flatly held against the surface to 'be cleaned, also will pick up dirt and act as part of the working area of the cloth. The tool and the bag formed by the cloth may be picked up and the tool adjusted against a different area of the cloth to provide a different working surface. Thus, several adjacent working surfaces may be provided on one side of a particular cloth during one installation thereof. Jhen one side of the cloth is considered used or saturated, the cloth may be removed, reversed to expose its relatively clean inner surface, and installed as described above for reuse. The dirt on the other side of the cloth is retained within the loop or bag formed by the cloth.

In FIGS. -7, there is shown a different embodiment of a cleaning tool according to this invention, wherein the threading rack and allied parts is removed and the edges of the cloth 52 are tucked underneath the resilient lip 62 of the boot 51. A resilient flange 66 is provided along the lower edge of the lip to stiffen the lip and assist in holding the tucked in cloth 52 in place. As shown in FIG. Sat 67, preferably the corners of the lip 62 are relieved back beyond the flange to facilitate installation and removal of the cloth and relieve stresses which otherwise would concentrate at the corners of the flange or lip. In FIG. 14, the tucking of the more or less square dusting cloth 52 under the lip of the resilient boot is illustrated somewhat schematically. As shown, the tucked in cloth forms a bag-like enclosure 68 around the tool which, due to the size of the cloth 52, is considerably larger than the tool itself.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown a still different modification of a cleaning tool according to this invention. In the device of these figures, a resilient sill, or ridge member, 71, preferably of a material such as hard rubber, is secured to the top of the pan 25 by suitable means, such as cementing or gluing, in closely spaced relation with the resilient lip 62 formed by the overlapping portions of the boot. The lip 62 is similar to that of FIGS. 5 through 7, except that no flange is provided. In operation, the edges of the cloth 52 to be employed may be tucked or inserted between the lip 62 and the sill 71 where they will be held by virtue of the close spacing between these members.

Having now described the invention in specific detail and exemplified the manner in which it may be carried into practice, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that innumerable variations, applications, modifications, and extensions of the basic principles involved may be made without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, the fabrics of the present invention may be employed in a host of ways that will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan. We therefore intend to be limited only in accordance with the appended patent claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A dusting tool comprising a frame having front and back edges, said frame having an upwardly extending flange portion continuing substantially around its pe riphery and a resilient boot removably fitted on said frame, said boot being shaped to conform to said frame and having a bottom portion and a turned over edge portion normally extending upwardly around and downwardly over the flange portion of said frame, said turned over portion fitting closely over the flange portion of said frame, whereby said boot is held on said frame and the edges of a flexible cleaning element may be tucked between the downwardly extending turned over portion of said boot and the flange portion of said frame and resiliently held against displacement therefrom by the fit of said boot on said frame.

2. A dusting tool according to claim 1, wherein the downwardly extending turned over portion of said boot comprises an inwardly extending stiffening flange of resilient material.

3. A dusting tool according to claim 1, wherein the boot comprises a yieldable cellular body provided with a relatively abrasion resistant non-cellular yieldable outer skin.

4. A dusting tool according to claim 1, which further comprises a ridge member spaced inwardly from the flange portion of said frame and substantially concentric therewith, the spacing between said ridge member and said flange portion being slightly less than the thickness of said turned over portion of said boot when justaposed with the edge of a flexible cleaning element, whereby said cleaning element may be held against displacement therefrom by the resilient fit between said turned over portion and said ridge portion.

5. A dusting tool comprising a frame having front and back edges said frame having an upwardly extending flange portion continuing substantially around its periphery and a resilient boot removably fitted on the bottom of said frame, said boot being shaped to conform to said frame and comprising a bottom portion and turned over portions normally extending upwardly around and downwardly over the flange portion of said frame and fitting closely over said flange portion, the bottom portion of said boot comprising front and back edges and a multiplicity of downwardly extending spaced projections defining a maze of interconnected grooves between them, the projections along the front and back edges of said bottom portion being aligned in spaced relation with one another abjacent said edges and surrounded by relieved areas of said boot communicating with a substantial number of the grooves of said maze.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,859,747 Neale May 24, 1932 2,440,014 Ludwick Apr. 20, 1948 2,735,129 Lorenz Feb. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 253,436 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1948 392,244 Great Britain May 18, 1933 792,496 France Oct. 21, 1935