US3497901A - Mop and wringer assembly - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1970 s. w. SHIPP 3,497,901

MOP AND WRINGER ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 23, 1968 f z r Q72 fig t 40 63 42 B I 65 64 6'5 INVENTOR. SAM n4 SH/PP United States Patent 3,497,901 MOP AND WRINGER ASSEMBLY Sam W. Shipp, 8609 May St., Chicago, Ill.

Filed Aug. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 754,918 Int. Cl. A472 13/20, 13/60 US. Cl. -119 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to mops and more particularly to new and useful improvements, the structural design of mops whereby a mop is provided having in operative combination therewith a wringer assembly whereupon by actuation of the assembly relative to the mop head, all unwanted liquidsquickly and easily expressed from the mop head by the action of the assembly thereupon.

There have been many efforts in the past to design practical and useful mops of the so-called self-wringing type, that is, mops which incorporate a wringing mechanism somehow in their design so that dirty water or other unwanted liquids can be extracted therefrom in some manner.

As heretofore practiced, the prior art designs brought some positive features to the art, but nonetheless, without exception, possessed sufficient disadvantages to prevent their wide acceptance.

Some of the problems which were either created or remained unsolved in the devices of the prior art include the inability to reduce the physical exertion of the operator, for instance, as by requiring the operator to laboriously crank the wringer or otherwise manually create excessive force to operate mechanisms to position and wring the mop. Others were too heavy or required excessive movements of the parts to achieve the desired result. Still others were so designed that it was impossible to mop corners with them and others possessed too many wear parts for economical maintenance.

It thus becomes apparent that while many attempts have been made to improve these devices, the need still exists for a mop and wringer assembly of the type herein described which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate, lightweight in construction, has a minimal number of moving parts, which will allow access to any surface reachable by a regular mop and which does not require any extraordinary exertion on the part of the user to obtain the wringing action on the mop.

The present invention is predicated upon my discovery of a new and improved design for a mop and wringer assembly which overcomes the objections of the prior art devices while providing all of the more salient advantages attendant thereto. This I accomplished by a novel combination of a mop head, mop holder, staff, axially slideable handle means mounted upon said staff, means conmeeting the handle means to a pair of spring-biased rollers, each of which is movable arcuately relative to the other by slight manual force applied thereto, each roller mount including a gearing arrangement to effect arcuate movement of the roller in response to the slight manual force applied thereto and means to lock the rollers in a preselected position whereupon said locked spring-biased 3,497,901 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 rollers coact with a wet mop head disposed therebetween to wring liquid from the mop head as the handle is moved axially of the mop staff. My design further provides a simple mechanical action for unlocking the rollers and opening the roller nip whereupon the mop head is quickly and easily restored to its operative position while the assembly is restored to its out-of-the-way position in superposition to the mop head in circumscription about said staff.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mop and wringer assembly which substantially eliminates the disadvantages and hardships of the prior at designs while maintaining and supplementing the advantages obtainable therewith.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved wringer mechanism wherein gear-positionable spring-biased rollers are strategically employed to quickly and easily express unwanted liquid from a mop head.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved mop and wringer assembly which is relatively lightweight, easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture and does not require undue exertion by the operator.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved means for holding and securing mop strands to form a mop head.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel extracting mechanism which by axial movement up and down the staff of a mop is capable of expressing unwanted liquid fom a mop head and thereafter returning to its non-obstructing position.

These and still other objects, as shall hereinafter appear, are readily fulfilled by the present invention in a totally unexpected fashion as can be readily discerned from a careful consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments exemplifying the invention, especially when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric showing of a mop and wringer assembly embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation, partially broken away for clarity, of the mop and wringing assembly of the present invention with the wringer assembly positioned to start a wringing cycle;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the mop and wringer assembly showing the assembly in its locked and unlocked (in phantom) position;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the mop head holder of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of a roller of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric enlargement, broken away for clarity, of the locking means shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing in which like parts bear like numerals throughout the several views, my novel combination of parts is shown in FIG. 1 as comprising a mop, indicated by general reference 11, having a mop head 12 formed of a plurality of strands 13 secured by mop holder 14 to the end of the mop handle or staff 15 by any suitable means such as a sleeve 16.

Holder 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, comprises a front plate 17 and a rear plate 18 connected in spaced opposed relationship to each other by suitable connectors such as bolt 19. A pivotal U-shaped rod member 20, having at one end, an eyelet 21 for circumscribing connector 19 for pivotal rotation thereabout, and at the other end thereof, a threaded portion 22 which, in operative position, passes upwardly between plate 17 and 18 to be secured by suitable locking means such as turn nut 23. As shown, nut 23 is turned down upon portion 22 until it firmly engaged the upper edge 24 of plates 17, 18 and 3 strands 13 are securely locked between rod member 20 and lower edge 25 of the plates 17, 18.

The wringer assembly, identified by the general reference 30, comprises a handle portion 31 disposed in circumscription about staff 15 and axially slideable therealong.

A plurality, for example, four rod members 32, 33, 34 (one not seen), extend downwardly from handle portion 31 and each is slideably seated in a different notch 36 defined symmetrically in spacer plate 37 and passes therebeyond where each, for instance, rod 32 defines an elbow 38 and extends therefrom in an outwardly extending plane, indicated at portion 39, to a second elbow 40 and thence in a downwardly extending plane, indicated at portion 41, for attachment to frame 42. The horizontal portions of the pair of rods 32, 33 on the front of the mop and of the pair 34 (one not seen) on the rear side of the mop are each disposed in substantial parallel relationship to each other.

Frame 42 is provided with end plates 51, 52 suitably mounted at each end thereof as with bolts 53, see FIG. 3. Each end plate, for example plate 52, in turn support a pair of roller supports 53, 54 which are pivotally mounted about cylindrical projections 55, 56, respectively. Each support 53, 54 is provided with gear teeth 57 at the upper end thereof, as at 57 and 58, for interlocking engagement with each other and respond to movement by extension portion 59 of support member 53 to vary the relative angular displacement between the remote ends thereof.

Adjacent the outermost end of each roller support is shaft receiving means which may either be a uniform slot 60, as shown in FIG. 1, or a slot 61 enlarged at its outer end 62 as shown in FIG. 3.

Where a uniform straight slot is employed, as slot 60 in FIG. 1, I use a roller construction as shown in FIG. 2 which comprises a thin cylindrical rod 63 about which a plastic cylindrical sleeve 64 of lesser length is circumscribed. Rod 63 extends through slots 60 and is secured as by a conventional washer 65 and cotter pin 65' locking arrangement at the exterior of the support 54.

In a preferred embodiment, I use a roller 66 formed of a single piece, see FIG. 5, which has axle grooves 67, 68 machined at each end thereof to provide hub portion 69 and 69' respectively, on the outermost portion thereof. By passing hub portions 69, 69 through enlarged portions 62 and then moving roller 66 whereupon axle potrions 67, 68 are engaged in the narrower slot 61, roller 66 is secured by the action of the hub and the end of the roller support portion.

Both rollers are spring biased by a suitable spring 70 which preferably comprises a U-shaped steel spring having a loop poriton 72 disposed at one end thereof in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the adjacent roller support, e.g., support 54 and engageable with a slot 73 defined in the corresponding roller support, for example support 54, which slot is defined axially of the support and complementary to loop portion 72.

Spring 70 then extends up and over the corresponding roller support stub, for example stub 56, and downwardly where adjacent the end thereof it has a curved bend 74 which engages and bears against the protruding portion of the corresponding roller.

As will become apparent, the aforedescribed spring 70, when associated with my special roller 66, performs the added desirable function of maintaining roller 66 in operative position within the narrower portion of slot 61 and away from enlarged portion 62 so to avoid any unintentional release of the roller from its mounted operative position.

The arcuate movement of the roller members relative to each other is, as previously described, effected by the movement of extension 59.

The desired relative position between the pair of rollers in the assembly may be held by the activation of locking means 80 which I shall now describe.

A suitable latch 81 is pivotally attached as by pin 82 to extension 59, preferably on each end of my wringer assembly, and is pivotal into and out of engagement with a detent 83 protruding from end plates 51, 52. Thus to maintin a locked wringing position, the rollers 64 are brought into close angular proximity with each other by rotation of the gears 57, 58 by the movement of extension 59 and then locked in this position by the rotation of latch 81 about its pivot 82 until the curved latch surface 84 engages and locks against detent 83.

While latch 81 may be provided independently at each end of my assembly, it is especially convenient to connect the latches 81 with a cross bar 86 so that the locking and unlocking of all rollers supports can be effected simultaneously with a single movement.

When locked from wringing action, the only movement of rollers 64, 66 which can be obtained results from the tolerance allowed by springs 70.

To operate my device 11 to express unwanted liquids from the mop head 14, extension member 59 is moved manually to actuate the gears 57, 58 with but slight effort whereupon rollers 64, 66 are moved to a relative closed position. Then locking means is pivoted on pin 82 to cause latch 81 to engage detent 83 whereby preventing further movement of rollers except as may result from its spring bias.

In the locked wringing position, handle means 31 is moved relative to staff 15 whereupon my locked wringer assembly is caused to pass longitudinally of the wet mop head 14 and express substantially all of the unwanted liquid therefrom. When the pass is complete, locking means 80 is easily and quickly released and extension member 59 gently raised to move gears 57, 58 and enlarge the nip of the rollers. The wringer assembly is then easily raised to its superposition above the mop head 14 by the relative movement of handle means 31 upwardly of staff 15 and the mop is ready to be used.

One additional feature of my novel design arises when the strands 13 comprising the mop become worn and need to be replaced. My design allows the operator to replace worn strands in a simple and easy fashion by unscrewing nut 22 from portion 23 and pivoting rod member 20 about bolt 19. Worn strands 13 may then be quickly and easily removed and a new set put in place. Then, U-shaped rod member 20 is pivoted about bolt 19 until end 23 extends upwardly between plates 17, 18 and screw nut 22 is returned to its locking position.

From the foregoing, it becomes readily apparent that a novel mop wringer assembly has been herein described and illustrated which fulfills all of the aforestated objects to a remarkably unexpected extent.

Accordingly, what I claim is:

1. A mop and wringer assembly comprising in combination: a frame having a rectangular superstructure, a plate member secured to said superstructure at each end thereof, each of said end plates having a first and a second hub portion extending outwardly therefrom, a pair of roller support members rotatably mounted one on each of said hub portions, each support member having gear means defined upon one end thereof and means for supporting one end of a spring biased roller on the other end thereof, one of said support members having an arm portion extending radially from said hub portion and moveable in response to slight force applied thereto to engage said gear means of said member with said gear means on said adjacent member and effect a pre-selected arcuate displacement between rollers supported thereby; a pair of spring biased roller members, one being mounted on a different one of said roller support members at each end thereof and moveable therewith arcuately relative to each other; locking means mounted on said frame and operative to secure said roller members in a pre-selected arcuate relationship relative to said frame; a mop staff extending through said frame; handle means circumscribing said staff and axially slideable relative thereto; support rods interconnecting said frame and said handle means to move said frame with said handle means; and a mop holder for connecting the mop to said staff.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each of said roller members comprises an elongated metal rod circumscribed by relatively shorter tubular plastic sleeve.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 in which each of said rollers comprises an integral cylindrical rod having a hub portion at each end thereof, a body portion, and axle portions interposed between said body portion and said hub portion.

4. A mop and Wringer assembly comprising in combination, a frame; a pair of spring biased roller members mounted to said frame and moveable arcuately relative to each other; means operatively associated with said rollers to move said roller members arcuately of each other; locking means mounted on said frame and operative to secure said roller members in a pre-selected arcuate relationship relative to said frame; a mop staff extending through said frame; handle means circumscribing said staff and axially slideable relative thereto; support rods interconnecting said frame and said handle means to move said frame with said handle means; and a mop holder for connecting the mop head to said staff, said mop holder having a front plate and a back plate mounted in spaced opposing relationship to each other; a pin member extending transversely through said plates; a U-shaped rod member having an eyelet at one end thereof, a threaded portion on the other end thereof and an elongated body portion integrally interposed between said ends, said eyelet circumscribing said pin member and pivotal thereabout, said threaded portion extending transversely of said body portion between and beyond said front and back plates to expose said threaded portion above said plates; and a threaded nut attachable to said threaded portion and actuatable to tightly hold a mop head between said body portion and the lower edge of said plates.

5. An assembly according to claim 4 in which said frame comprises a rectangular super structure having a plate member secured thereto at each end thereof, each of said end plates having a first and second hub portion extending outwardly therefrom; a pair of roller support members rotatably mounted one on each of said hub portions, each support member having gear means defined upon one end thereof and means for supporting one of said spring biased rollers on the other end thereof, one of said support members having an arm portion extending radially from said hub portion and moveable in response to slight force applied thereto to engage said gear means of said member with said gear means on said adjacent member and effect a pro-selected arcuate displacement between said rollers.

6. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said end plates each support a detent and said arm portions each have latch means mounted thereupon and pivotal relative thereto to engage said detent and lock said rollers in said pre-selected arcuatc relationship to said frame.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 in which a cross bar member is interconnected between said latch means and said latch means are moveable simultaneously with each other.

8. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said means for supporting said roller comprises a slot defined laterally in said support member, said slot having an en larged portion at the end thereof remote from the direction of force created by said spring bias.

9. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said support member has a leading and a trailing edge and contains an axially extending slot defined adjacent said trailing edge and said spring bias comprises an elongated spring having a loop at one end thereof disposed retentively within said axial extending slot, said spring extending upwardly therefrom around said hub portion and downwardly to a bend adjacent its end, said bend being located in operative relationship to said roller supporting slot and engageable with said roller to bias said roller toward said leading edge of said support member.

10. An assembly according to claim 4 in which said mop head comprises a plurality of strands of absorbent material deposed between said lower edge of said plates and said body portion and secured thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,033 8/1886 Miller 151 19 376,711 1/1888 Fortin 15-119 864,490 8/1907 Shearman 15-119 900,430 10/ 1908 Schaefie 15-262 1,182,844 5/1916 Harr 15-153 1,358,399 11/1920 Sommer et a1 15150 2,554,937 5/1951 Capstack 15-262 3,008,163 11/1961 Bommer. 3,346,906 10/1967 Harrison et al 11-262 DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15-150

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