US3072943A - Self-wringing mop - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1963 c. N. CONE 3,072,943

SELF-WRINGING MOP Filed Sept. 26, 1958 INVENTOR CLARENCE N- CONE BY 9/ 05min $1 J0 [17mm ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,072,943 SELF-WRINGING MGP Clarence N. Cone, Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. Filed Sept. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 763,615 6 Claims. (cl. 1s-119 This invention relates generally to mops and the like devices, and more particularly to a self-wringing mop, and attachment means for conventional mops to convert them to self-wringing mops.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved mop of the character described, and which is of simple construction and operation, and which may be built-in to a mop during its manufacture to provide a self-wringing mop, or solid as a wringer accessory for installation on a non-wringing mop to provide the same with means for wringing the mop, thus converting it to a self-wringing 'I he wringer device of the invention is broadly useful for mechanically squeezing liquids from strands or woven materials, and, for example, as fabricated from fibers such as cotton, wool, leather or various other natural or syn thetic materials which have the property of readily absorbing liquids.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple constructed device for wringing liquids, such as water, oil or the like, from the strands of a mop and whereby the operator can manipulate the device to wring the mop without the hands coming into contact with the strands of the mop. a

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel roller-squeezing means for mops which is adapted to be moved into position to completely encircle the strands while simultaneously bringing about twisting of the mop handle to accentuate the wringing operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel liquid extracting mechanism which is readily attached to the handle of a mop and operated by one using the mop, whereby wringing of the mop maybe carried out automatically by a sliding movement of the mechanism axially along the mop handle.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description and in which a novel mop wringing attachment and novel self-wringing mop is illustrated and described.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention and its operation, a preferred embodiment of the wringing attachment for mops and built-in self-wringing mops is shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a mop wringer attachment embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of an enlarged scale, and partly in section, and taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross-section and taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective and illustrating the wringing device of FIG. 1 installed on the handle of a mop showing how the operator manipulates the same;

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective as in FIG. 4, and illustrating a mop in the process of being wrung by the wringing device of this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to that in FIG. 5, but showing the wringing device as used on a rectangularhead shaped mop.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 through 6, a mop wringer attachment generally designated 1h. The attachment comprises a mop squeezer means 11 which consists of two co-acting mop squeezing arm members 12, and which may comprise squeeze rollers 3,072,943 Patented Jan. 15, 1953 12a. The mop squeezing members 12 are mounted on the lower end of a pair of elongated rods 13 which are arranged in juxtaposition. These rods 13, carrying the mop squeezing members 12, are mounted in a tubular support 13a which extends along the length of the rods and which holds the same rigid and closely adjacent so that they cannot be flexed apart while permitting the rods to rotate in the support. The rods 13 comprise upwardly bent angle sections 14 at their lower end and which extend at approximately right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rod and on which a roller 12a may be mounted to facilitate the movement of the squeezing arm members over the strands of the mop.

On the lower end, the rods 13 terminate in an arcuateshaped portion 15 which extends outwardly and is bent around backward, as shown in FIG. 1. The bent portions 15 are curved outwardly in opposite directions from the mop-squeezing members 12 as shown in FIG. 1 to provide means for gathering and holding the wet strands of a mop while the same are squeezed between the members 12 and as best illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The rods 13 extend upwardly from the tubular support 13a in which they are rotatably retained and through a saddle or yoke 16. This yoke 16 comprises an integral, elongated tube means 17 which is adapted to slidably receive the handle 18 of a mop 20, such as is shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.- A ring 21 is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the yoke 16 and which functions as a guide and stop means for engaging a head or band 22 of a mop when the wringer attachment is moved downwardly over the handle of the mop during the wringing operation. This ring 21 also guides and steadies the wringer attachment as the same is moved over the mop handle.

An extension 23 is provided on the tube 17 which may be grasped by the operator to facilitate manipulation of the wringer attachment. At the upper end of the squeeze rods 13, the same are provided with 'CO-aCting gears 25 which engage and provide means .for rotating the rods in unison to position the mop squeezing arms or rollers about the strands of the mop and to exert a squeezing force therebetween. Handle members 26 are suitably provided on the upper ends of the rods 13 which facilitate manipulation of the mop squeezing member 12. As will be seen, by swinging the handles 26 downwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 5 .and in dotted lines in FIG. 1, the mop squeezing arms, having the rollers 12a, are brought in squeezing contact with the strands of the mop and at the same time the operator can twist the handle 18 of the mop so as to wring out the same as illustrated by the arrows in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In FIG. 6 a rectangular headed mop is illustrated as at 30 to which the wringer attachment of this invention may be applied. In this instance, the handle of the mop may be twisted back and forth rather than rotated, to allow for the rectangular shape of the head of the mop, which, otherwise, would interfere with the squeeze rods 13.

The portion of the mop and its wringer attachment as illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 will be readily understood from the drawings and it is deemed unnecessary to further describe the same.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and substitutions may be made within the scope of this invention, and it is not desired to limit the particular form and structure herein disclosed and described, except insofar as restricted by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mop having liquid absorptive strands, an attachment therefor for providing a self-wringing mop, said attachment comprising an elongated tubular guide means slidably mounted over the handle of a mop, means comprising a pair of rotatable rods carried by said tubular guide means which are adapted to be rotated and moved longitudinally and independently of said mop handle, said rods being elongated and extending parallel with said tubular guide means, means comprising cor-acting squeezing arms on the lower end of said rods and movable in squeezing engagement with said mop for wringing the same, and means comprising levers connected to the upper end of said rods for rotating said rods about their longitudinal axes to position said squeezing arms in gripping engagement with the strands of said mop, said rods and said squeezing arms being carried by said tubular guide and being movable as a unit axially of the handle of the mop while said squeezing arms are in gripping engagement with said mop to'wring the mop.

2. In a mop, the construction as defined in claim 1, wherein said squeezing arms are equipped with rollers and said rods are geared together for actuation whereby said arms are brought in squeezing engagement with the strands of the mop to wring the same.

3. In combination with a mop of the character described, attachment means slida-bly mounted on the handle and axiallyslidable relative thereto for wringing the mop, said attachment means comprising a tubular means rotatably mounted on said handle, a plurality of juxtapositioned rods rotatably mounted on said tubular means and arranged parallel thereto, said rods terminating in coacting squeezing arms for engaging and squeezing said mop, coacting gear means on said rods for gearing the same together for simultaneous rotation, means comprising a lever engageable with said rods for rotating the same in opposite directions to forcibly press said squeezing arms about said mop while moving saidtubular means axially of said handle to wring the mop.

4. 'In combination with a mop of the character described, a self-wringing attachment which is mounted on the handle of said mop and manipulated to wring the mop,

, mop handle, coacting gear means on said rods for gearing said attachment comprising a tubularmember rotatably the same together for simultaneous rotation, and lever arm means on the upper end of said elongated rods and operable to bring said squeezing arms in pressing engagement with said mop whereby to squeeze the same.

5. In a mop having liquid absorptive strands, an attachment therefor for providing a self-wringing mop, said attachment comprising an elongated tubular guide means rotatably mounted on said handle of the mop, means comprising a pair of rods carried by said tubular guide means which are adapted to be moved as a unit longitudinally of said mop handle, coacting gear means on said rods for gearing the same together for simultaneous rotation, means comprising coacting squeezing arms disposed on the lower end of said rods and movable in squeezing engagement with said mop for wringing the same, and means comprising hand-operated levers operatively connected to said rods for rotating said rods to position said squeezing arms in gripping engagement with the strands of said mop while moving said rods and said squeezing arms axially of the handle of the mop to wring the mop, said mop handle being rotatable independently of said attachment.

6. In combination with a mop of the character described, an attachment means slidable axially over the handle of the mop for wringing the mop, said attachment means comprising a tubular guide member mounted on said handle, parallel juxtapositioned rotatably mounted rods carried by said tubular guide member which terminate in coacting squeezing arms for engaging and squeezing said mop, means comprising lever arms on the rods for rotating said rods simultaneously to forcibly press said squeezing arms against said mop and moving said squeezing arms axially relative to said mop handle to wring the mop, said parallel rods being geared together for simultaneous rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,546,699 Adams July 21, 1925 1,702,885 Adams Feb. 19, 1929 1,932,466 Kawasaki Oct. 31, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 314,730 Great Britain July 4, 1929 553,287 Great Britain May 14, 1943

Claims (1)

1. IN A MOP HAVING LIQUID ABSORPTIVE STRANDS, AN ATTACHMENT THEREFOR FOR PROVIDING A SELF-WRINGING MOP, SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR GUIDE MEANS SLIDABLY MOUNTED OVER THE HANDLE OF A MOP, MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF ROTATABLE RODS CARRIED BY SAID TUBULAR GUIDE MEANS WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED AND MOVED LONGITUDINALLY AND INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID MOP HANDLE, SAID RODS BEING ELONGATED AND EXTENDING PARALLEL WITH SAID TUBULAR GUIDE MEANS, MEANS COMPRISING CO-ACTING SQUEEZING ARMS ON THE LOWER END OF SAID RODS AND MOVABLE IN SQUEEZING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MOP FOR WRINGING THE SAME, AND MEANS COMPRISING LEVERS CONNECTED TO THE UPPER

Images