US3698030A

US3698030A - Mop

Info

Publication number: US3698030A
Application number: US146899A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene C Lockett
Original assignee: EUGENE C LOCKETT
Current assignee: EUGENE C LOCKETT
Priority date: 1971-05-26
Filing date: 1971-05-26
Publication date: 1972-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1989-10-17

Abstract

A mop member having a frame including a concave surface on the bottom of the frame and a porous, bristly material impaled upon protruding attaching members and adapted to trap soil and dust. A porous cloth, impregnated with oils, extends over the bristly material, retaining the loose soil and dust in the bristly material. The porous cloth is attached to the frame of the mop.

Description

United States Patent Lockett [451 Oct. 17, 1972 1 MOP 3,528,120 9/1970 Lindstrom "15/228 72 Inventor; Eugene Locke, 1580 Stewal.t 3,156,965 11/1964 Howard ..15/210R Street, Reno, 89502 1,984,990 12/1934 Reineman ..15/209 AH 1,557,473 10/1925 Cross ..15/209 AH [22] May 26,1971 3,199,136 8/1965 George ..15/231 [21] A ].N ;146,399 1,258,637 3/1918 Snelling ..15/104.93

Related US. Application Data Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 874,151, Nov. 5, 1969.

US. Cl ,.l5/l04.94, 15/231 Int. Cl....A47l 13/17, A471 13/46, A471 13/22 Field of Search ..15/118, 104.94, 104.93, 231, 15/144 R, 208,114,115, 209 R, 210 R,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I Schultz ...15/104.94 X

Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Ernest L. Brown [57] ABSTRACT A mop member having a frame including a concave surface on the bottom of the frame and a porous, bristly material impaled upon protruding attaching members and adapted to trap soil and dust. A porous cloth, impregnated with oils, extends over the bristly material, retaining the loose soil and dust in the bristly material. The porous cloth is attached to the frame of the mop.

14 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDW 11 I972 Ml NERAL CLEANING MIXTURE AMYL-METATE I NVEN'IDR.

EUGENE C. Lpc -r'r ATI'OQHBY MOP BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 874,151, filed Nov. 5, 1969, for a Cleaning Device by Eugene C. Lockett, alias Gene Lockett.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,258,637, issued Mar. 5, 1918, to Walter O. Snelling for Dust-Reducing Material, describes and claims the general concept, without a drawing, of the use of a fabric lightly charged with an oil having an affinity for dust and a non-flammable oily solvent for the oil. Both the oil and the solvent are insoluble in water and of low volatility.

A typical fabric for a dustcloth is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,081,370, which issued May 25, 1937, to H. A. Secrist, for aFabric.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,855 issued Aug. 6, 1963, to L. M. Nash for a Cleaning Implement. The Nash implement uses a facing or cushion of easily deformable material such as foam or sponge rubber on the lower surface of the mop head. A cleaning fabric is placed over the rubber or foam base. The cleaning fabric is preferably a non-woven fabric which is chemically treated in such a manner that dust adheres to its surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,136 issued Aug. 10, 1965, to P. F. George for a Mop Having Disposable Sheets. The

George mop has a typical mop head which appears to be made of sponge rubber. A plurality of sheets of absorptive paper material, selected to have high wet strength and capable of permitting the flow of fluid therethrough while retaining dirt contained in the fluid, are placed over the sponge mop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The head of the mop of this invention is preferably made of a substantially rigid material such as wood or plastic material. The under side of the head of the mop is concave to receive a cushion or batt of porous, fibrous material such as glass fiber, rubberized hair, or similar material. In the concave region of the under side of the mop head are a plurality of sharp protruding members which engage the batt of porous, fibrous material, thereby resisting relative motion between the mop head and the fibrous material. A gauze of porous, cleaning-mixture impregnated cloth, such as cheesecloth or the like, substantially completely covers the batt of porous fibrous material. The impregnated covering is attached, preferably on the ends, to the head of the mop. The sheet of impregnated cloth is preferably impregnated with a cleaning mixture made up of amyl-acetate, white mineral oil, perchloroethylene, and mineral seal oil.

As configured, not only the outer covering but also the porous batt of material is disposable. The flat bristly surface of the batt of material protrudes through the impregnated cheesecloth, thereby loosening the soil. The batt also serves as a trap for the soil and dust which is collected by the impregnated outer cloth.

Instead of individual sharp protruding members engaging the batt in the region of the concave portion of the mop head, a plurality of ribs may be formed on the concave surface, such ribs engaging the batt of material.

It is therefore an object of this invention to clean floors in an efficient manner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel disposable mop which is adapted to perform such efficient cleaning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects ,will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of an assembled mop;

FIG. 2 is a view, partly in section, taken at 2 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented view of a fibrous porous batt and a porous covering of a typical embodiment used in this invention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method of producing the cleaning mixture used in the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the figures a mop head 10 is attached to a handle 12, for example, by a bearing 14 encircling a dowel 16 which is attached to the mop head 10.

The mop head 10 is shown rectangular but, indeed, may be square, oval, elliptical and the like. The mop head 10 is preferably made of a rigid material such as, for example, wood or plastic material. The under side of the mop head 10 has a concave surface 20. The surface 20 has a plurality of engaging members such as 22, 24, and 26, for engaging the fibrous batt 28. The engaging members, such as 22, 24, and 26, may be ribs extending at least a part of the distance along the concave surface 16. Alternatively the

members

22, 24, and 26 may be piercing members, such as nails and the like.

The fibrous batt 28 preferably has an arcuate upper surface 30 which approximately conforms to the curva-' ture of the concave surface 20. The batt 28 may be fabricated, for example, of glass fiber or rubberized hair. More generally the batt 28 is of fibrous, porous material which has tough bristles to aid the cleaning process and which has pores large enough to trap dirt.

Around the outside of the batt 28 is a gauze of treated, porous cloth such as a single layer of cheesecloth or the cloth described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,081,370 to Secrist. The cover cloth 32 is preferably treated with a cleaning mixture to aid in attracting dirt and holding down dust. In a preferred embodiment the cover material 32 has

end tabs

34 and 36 which are adapted to fit under clamps 38 and 40. It should be stressed that the end tabs and the clamps are not necessary, for the cover material 32 in many instances is adequately held by stuffing it into the recess 40 around the dowel 16.

The cover material 32 is impregnated with a cleaning mixture. The cleaning mixture is preferably a mixture of amyl-acetate, white mineral oil, perchloro-ethylene and mineral seal oil. It is preferred that the mineral seal oil have a dye therein so that one may observe the uniformity of the mixture.

A first preferred cleaning mixture uses amyl-acetate, perchloro-ethylene, a holding oil such as a white mineral oil, and a saturating oil or wetting agent such as a mineral seal oil. Using 24 fluid ounces of perchloroethylene as a base, one uses between 30 and 40 fluid ounces of holding oil and approximately 72 ounces of mineral seal oil. Amyl-acetate is added in an amount substantially equal to one fluid ounce per gallon of mixture.

A second mixture which produces good results is based upon 32 fluid ounces of tetrachlorethylene mixed with 56 fluid ounces of saturating oil such as mineral seal oil and 40 ounces of white mineral oil.

The critical material, based upon experiment, is the white mineral oil. Less than 20 percent in any mix causes the mix to be dry and inefficient in collecting dirt, dust and the like. Over 35 percent causes streakmg.

The tetrachloroethylene used in combination with the oils preserves the consistency, and it prolongs the life of the treated cloth. It also acts as a fire retardant and reduces the danger of spontaneous combustion.

The outer covering of cheesecloth, or the like, is treated by soaking in the cleaning solution in the ratio of from eight to ten fluid ounces of the cleaning solution to a pound of cheesecloth.

Typically pads of cheesecloth, or similar material, used for the outer covering 32 are dipped into the cleaning mixture. The mixture is poured over the cloth or the cloth is soaked in the mixture. For additional penetration and uniformity the mixture may be applied under pressure to the cloth.

Thus, the apparatus of this invention is a combination of structure and materials adapted to produce a highly efficient mop with disposable portions thereof. Further, the fibrous material 28, whose bristles penetrate the outer covering 32, helps in loosening dirt. The treated cloth 32 attracts the dirt and grime, and the dirt and grime penetrates through the cloth 32 into the interstices of the porous material 28 where it is stored. The use of cheesecloth and the like as a cover material 32, particularly with the cleaning mixture described, resists the tendency to grow slick and is a highly efficient dust collector.

The disposable components can be packaged together. For example, 24 cheesecloths may be packaged with one rubberized hair or fiber glass pad.

Although the invention has been described in detail above, it is not intended that the invention should be limited thereby, but only in accordance with that description taken in combination with the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A dust mop comprising:

a mop head;

a batt of bristly, porous material attached to the bottom of said mop head; and

a' porous gauze covering the exterior surface of said batt, with bristles of said bristly material penetrating said gauze.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1, in whichthe bottom surface of said mop head has a concave contour and the top surface of said batt has an arcuate contour substantially matching said concave contour.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2 in which said mop head is elongated, and further comprising means within said concave contour of said mop head to engage said batt to resist relative motion between said batt and said mop head.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 in which said means for resisting relative motion comprises a plurality of ridges extending at least part of the length of said mop head within said concave contoured portion thereof. I

5. Apparatus as recited m claim 3 wherein said means for resisting relative motion comprises a plurality of penetrating members attached to said mop head and adapted to penetrate said batt.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 in which said penetrating members are nail-like members.

7. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 and further comprising means for attaching said gauze to said mop head.

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 7 in which said attaching means comprises clips on the ends of said mop head.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said gauze is impregnated with a cleaning mixture.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 9 in which said cleaning mixture is a mixture of perchloro-ethylene, white mineral oil, and mineral seal oil.

11. Apparatus as recited in claim 10 in which said cleaning mixture further comprises amyl-acetate.

12. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 in which said cleaning mixture further comprises a dye for observing the uniformity of penetration of said cleaning mixture into said gauze.

13. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said batt material is glass fiber.

Claims

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1, in which the bottom surface of said mop head has a concave contour and the top surface of said batt has an arcuate contour substantially matching said concave contour.
3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2 in which said mop head is elongated, and further comprising means within said concave contour of said mop head to engage said batt to resist relative motion between said batt and said mop head.
4. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 in which said means for resisting relative motion comprises a plurality of ridges extending at least part of the length of said mop head within said concave contoured portion thereof.
5. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for resisting relative motion comprises a plurality of penetrating members attached to said mop head and adapted to penetrate said batt.
6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 in which said penetrating members are nail-like members.
7. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 and further comprising means for attaching said gauze to said mop head.
8. Apparatus as recited in claim 7 in which said attaching means comprises clips on the ends of said mop head.
9. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said gauze is impregnated with a cleaning mixture.
10. Apparatus as recited in claim 9 in which said cleaning mixture is a mixture of perchloro-ethylene, white mineral oil, and mineral seal oil.
11. Apparatus as recited in claim 10 in which said cleaning mixture further comprises amyl-acetate.
12. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 in which said cleaning mixture further comprises a dye for observing the uniformity of penetration of said cleaning mixture into said gauze.
13. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said batt material is glass fiber.
14. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said batt material is rubberized hair.