US3074095A

US3074095A - Window mop

Info

Publication number: US3074095A
Application number: US20649A
Authority: US
Inventors: Woods Cyril
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-04-07
Filing date: 1960-04-07
Publication date: 1963-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 1980-01-22

Description

Jan 22 C- WOODS wINnow Mop Filed April 7v 1960 INVENToA C )fR/ W0 005 MQ/wh United States Patent O 3,074,095 WINDOW MOP Cyril Woods, 152 Linwood Ave., Bogota, NJ. Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,649 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-220) This invention relates to a cleaning device, and refers more particularly, to a cleaning device such as a window mop especially suitable for cleaning double-hung parallel sliding windows, picture windows, and other windows or areas normally able to be cleaned only with difficulty.

It is well known that cleaning certain portions of doublehung parallel sliding windows have since their inception caused housewives and others a great deal of difficulty. In the normal double-hung vertically sliding window the outside of the lower window frame (which in the usual case is the inside siding frame) is practically impossible to clean from inside the building. Everyone has, of course, from time to time noticed housewives sitting on window ledges with the major portions of their body extended outwardly from the building, and having great difiiculty in hanging on to the building with one hand and attempting to clean the outside of the window with the other hand. This is indeed a dangerous practice.

It should also be noted that with prior art cleaning devices great diiiiculty is also encountered in attempting to clean the exteriors of iixed or picture windows, particularly when the windows are located any distance from the ground.

Prior art hand sponges, straight-handled window brushes and the like, do not effectively clean all portions of double-hung windows and do not eliminate the necessity for the dangerous practice of sitting on window ledges on the exterior of the building. Prior art squeegees can be inserted between the two sections of double-hung windows only with great diliiculty. The necessity of wiping the squeegee between each stroke, and of cleaning a substantial area of glass before it dries, therefore, becomes virtually impossible with prior art devices.

The present invention -allows all portions of doublehung windows to be cleaned from inside the building, and makes this dangerous practice of sitting on window ledges while cleaning windows entirely unnecessary.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device which allows for the easy cleaning and washing of all portions of both sides of a double-hung parallel sliding window from within the building without the necessity of sitting on the window ledge.

Another object is to provide a cleaning device for the easy cleaning and washing of the exterior side of fixed or picture windows.

A further object is to provide an easily manufactured, and inexpensive cleaning device which is easily operated for effectively cleaning all portions of various type windows.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

The objects of the present invention may be realized through the provision of a cleaning device having a cleaning portion connected to a resilient handle in such a manner that the cleaning portion can rotate with respect to the handle and be maintained at against the window even though the angle between the handle and plane of the window varies. This construction enables the entire cleaning device to .be utilized in the narrow space between double-hung sliding windows by allowing easy manipulation of the device with the cleaning portion maintained at against the window. An extension handle permits cleaning the exterior side of xed or picture windows that are so high above ground level as to be reached only with diiculty.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the yaccompanying drawing showing, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a cleaning device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device of the present invention taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 shows a cleaning device of the present invention in operative use between double-hung parallel sliding windows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken along line 4 4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a cleaning device of the present invention as used in the lower corner of a window.

The cleaning device 10 of the present invention is shown in front view in FIGURE l and in cross-section in FIGURE 2, and comprises a cleaning portion 11 which comprises a mophead 12 or the like having an elastic periphery 13; a plate 14, a hinge 15, and an elongated handle comprising a resilient handle strip 16 and a handle plate 16a.

The cleaning portion 11 comprises a mophead 12 which may be made out of fabric, sponge material, rubber, soft plastics or the like. The mophead 12 which may be of the strand type has an elastic edge 13 which engages the plate 14 and which allows cleaning portion 11 to be snugly fitted and secured in position on plate 14. Thus the cleaning portion 11 will entirely cover one side of plate 14, and may be easily removed.

Plate 14 is preferably a thin rigid rectangular metal plate having slightly rounded corners. The corners are so rounded as to prevent wear by abrasion to the cleaning portion 11, but are rounded only slightly so that they will t easily into the window frame corners for efficient cleaning.

The elongated handle has a handle plate 16a connected to plate 14 by hinge 15 in the vicinity of and substantially along the entire length of an edge of plate 14, on the side of plate 14 opposite to that which is covered by cleaning portion 11. The hinge 15 is located at or near an edge of plate 14 because this construction allows adequate pressure to be brought to bear on the top edge and corners of plate 14 and cleaning portion 11 when the cleaning device 10` is brought into contact with a window pane or other surface to be cleaned. The hinge 15 thus permits the cleaning portion 11 to be kept flat against the window regardless of whether the cleaning device 10 is to be operated from above, below, or on the same level with the surface which is being cleaned. The handle plate 16a facilitates the connection of the handle to the plate 14 by means of hinge 15. Thus the handle may be easily operated in the area between doublehung windows. The handle plate 16a has a bend 17 at a point a distance from hinge 15' approximately equal to the width of plate 14, so that the bend is aligned approximately with the lower edge of mophead 12. This enables the plate 14 to lie ilat against the window although the resilient handle strip 16 bends as best seen in FIGURE 4.

The manner of use and operation of the cleaning device 10 of the present invention is as follows:

Whenever necessary a new cleaning or washing mop head 12. may be placed on plate 14. The mophead 124 may be utilized dry or saturated with water or other cleaning liuid. The manner of using the cleaning device 10 will be illustrated by describing its use in cleaning the exterior portion of a window pane of the inside frame of a double-hung vertically sliding window.

plate 16a is hinged to the plate 14, the handle plate 16a and plate 14 will lie in substantially one plane when the handle strip 16 is held vertically, thus allowing the cleaning device 1t) to be easily placed between the doublehung window frames. The operator is then free to move.

the cleaning device against the window,` and since the handle is hinged to the top of the cleaning portion 11, the cleaning portion 11 may be maintained flat against the window even up to the extreme top of the window pane. Thus, since the hinge 15 is at the top of plate 14, cleaning portion 11 may be utilized at the very edge and corners of the window pane. The resilient handle strip 16 and the handle plate 16a with the bend 17, allow pressure to be maintained on the cleaning portion 1l against the window pane even though there is very little space between the double-hung window frames. That this is the case may be clearly seen in FGURE 4, wherein the bend 17 may be seen to allow for a force component to be exerted normal to the window pane although the major portion of the handle is substantially parallel to the window. After the dirt has been removed from the window, the dirty mophead is removed and replaced with a clean mophead for polishing the window in the manner indicated above.

As is indicated in FIGURE 5, device 10' may also be used to clean lower portions and edges of window panes from above or below by having the handle plate 16a make an obtuse angle with the plane of the plate 14 rather than an acute angle as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4.

Among the advantages of the cleaning device of the present invention are the following: the cleaning device can be utilized in a narrow space between double-hung parallel sliding window frames with the operator remaining within the building; it may be used for cleaning fixed windows, picture windows or Casement windows and the like which are not otherwise easily reached for cleaning; and the device of the present invention is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and easily and etticiently operated.

It is apparent that the described example is capable of many variations and modifications within the scope of the present invention. All such variations and modiiications are to be included within the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

A window mop, comprising in combination with a substantially rectangular thin plate with rounded corners, and a cleaning portion having a mophead and an elastic edge enclosing the edges of said plate and mounting said mophead upon one side of said plate; an elongated hinge carried by said plate and located adjacent and parallel to one of the edges of said plate, said hinge extending substantially the entire length of said one edge, a substantially at three-sided handle plate swiugably connected along one side with said hinge along the entire length of the hinge, the other sides of said handle plate forming an apex on said handle plate opposite said swiugably connected side, a portion of said handle plate adjacent the apex thereof being bent with respect to the plane of the other portion of said handle plate, and an elongated resilient handle strip rmly connected at one end to the bent portion of said handle plate.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,500,006 Sherman July l, 1924 1,973,708 Heller Sept. 18, 193A'r 2,577,496 Wolter Dec. 4, 1951 2,649,600 Loveland Aug. 25, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 107,487 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1916 614,552 Germany June 21, 1935