US3728756A

US3728756A - Mop head

Info

Publication number: US3728756A
Application number: US00180279A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Argeris; J Atwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-09-17
Filing date: 1971-09-14
Publication date: 1973-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-24
Also published as: US3633975A

Abstract

A mop head has generally U-shaped loops extending to both sides of the center band and the loops are extensively twisted along their lengths. Additional bands may be provided on both sides of the center band. The center band is secured to portions of the loops that are untwisted.

Description

United States Patent 1 Argeris et al.

[451 Apr. 24, 1973 MOP HEAD [76] Inventors: John G. Argeris, 8 Leander Street, Danielson, Conn. 06239; James A. Atwood, III, Genbren Road, Plainfield, Conn. 06374 [22] Filed: Sept. 14, 1971 [21 Appl. No.: 180,279

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart 01 581. No. 73,115, Sept. 17,

1970, Pat. NO. 3,633,975.

[52] U.S. Cl. ..l5/229 A [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 13/20 [58] Field of Search ..15/228, 229 R, 229 AC, 15/229 AW, 229 B, 229 BC, 229 BW; 300/21 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,035,130 3/1936 Klawans ..l5/229 R UX Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Al!0rneyPeter L. Costas 57 ABSTRACT A mop head has generally U-shaped loops extending to both sides of the center band and the loops are extensively twisted along their lengths. Additional bands may be provided on both sides of the center band. The center band is secured to portions of the loops that are untwisted.

- 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 3,728,756

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.3 FIG. 4

In ven fans do/m G. Aryerz's domes A. Atw od ZZT Patented April 24, 1973 3,728,756

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 16 U l m Invenfors Ja/m G Alger-1'5, James A. A wood 1H By Afiornqy MOP HEAD RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application, Ser. No. 73,115 filed Sept. 17, 1970 and entitled Method of Making a Mop Head," now U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,975, issued Jan. 11, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various techniques have been proposed for the manufacture of mop heads, and one of the most widely accepted utilizes absorbent yarn. Preferably, such a mop should be constructed with an elongated loop construction which minimizes unraveling, and insures good surface contact with the floor being mopped. It has been proposed to twist the loops to provide better characteristics in such mop heads including durability, good conformity to the surface being mopped, avoidance of snagging objects on that surface, high absorption and reduced streaking. Attempts to produce such a mop having twisted elongated loops have been made with complicated twisting machinery requiring extensive capital outlays.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel mop head having extensively twisted loops of absorbent yarn to provide for good floor coverage, durability and good water absorption.

It is also an object to provide such a mop head which is relatively simple and relatively economical to fabricate and which is adaptable to various types of yarn.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects can be readily attained in a mop head having elongated loops of absorbent twisted yarn formed into an array of a multiplicity of elongated U-shaped loops extending inboth directions from the centerline of the array with the arcuate closely spaced end portions thereof providing the end portionsof the array. The array is of substantial width and the loops measured from the centerline are of substantially equal length and closely spaced together. Securing means on the array adjacent the centerline secure all the loops in the array together to form a secure assembly. The loops are extensively twisted about their longitudinal axes with the twists spaced along at least the major portion of the loops length, but the loops are substantially free from intertwining along the length thereof.

In one embodiment, the depending loops are arranged with their longitudinal axes substantially parallel when the loops are freely suspended. In another embodiment, at least some of said generally U-shaped loops at least partially overlie some other loops. An elongated yarn element provides one of the generally U-shaped loops on each side of the centerline with the free ends thereof being disposed adjacent the centerline of the array, or an elongated yarn element may weave back and forth to generate a multiplicity of loops on each side of the centerline of the array.

Most preferably, the mop head loops fan out from the securing means into a generally planar form on each side of the centerline having a lateral region intermediate the closed end and the centerline, and flexible interconnecting means is affixed to the loops in the lateral region to secure them together. In one embodiment, the two or more assemblies are arranged in superposed relationship to provide a laminated assembly.

Twisted rayon yarn having a predisposition to twist upon itself due to stresses therein as a result of its manufacturing process is most desirably employed in the present mopheads. The twisted loops may be processed as by heating after agitation thereof in the twisted condition to set them in the twisted position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mop embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of two mop head assemblies each comprising a plurality of closed loop portions showing the arrangement of the loops in one type of mop head and adapted to be superposed and secured together to form an assembly having greater thickness;

FIG. 3 is a partially diagrammatic plan view of a construction in which a single continuous yarn is employed to provide the loops, the center band being removed and the loops being spaced apart for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the preferred embodiment wherein separate yarns from the individual loops which are bound together to form a mop head;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another mop head embodying the present inventions; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, partially diagrammatic side elevational view to an enlarged scale of the mop head of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Turning now in detail to the appended drawings, a mop embodying the present invention has a mop head or swab portion 10 to which is affixed by suitable securing means 12 to the handle 14. The mop head 10 has two depending portions each comprising a multiplicity of elongated U-shaped loops 16 of twisted, absorbent yarn which are assembled into an array of rather substantial widths. A fabric band 18 encircles the loops 16 and is secured thereto by sewing as indicated by numerals l9 and in turn is engaged by the securing means 12. Intermediate the length of each of the two depending portions is a flexible interconnecting band 20 which encircles the portion and is sewn to the loops 16 by the stitches indicated at 22 to hold them in a fanned out or planar position and thereby increase the absorption of the mop head.

Turning now in detail to FIG. 2, therein illustrated is a pair of mop head assemblies embodying the present invention prior to twisting of the loops 16 and prior to assembly of the two mop head assemblies in superposed condition and engagement by sewing or the like. In this embodiment, each of the mop head assemblies is comprised of a multiplicity of twisted yarn elements 32 of relatively short length which have their free ends (not shown disposed adjacent the centerline of the array which is defined by the fabric band 18. In this manner, each yarn element 32 provides a closed loop 16 to each side of the centerline of the array. In the illustrated embodiment, theyarn elements 32 are spaced so that the loops 16 do not overlie each other in a freely depending condition when the mop head is suspended from the fabric band. After the loop elements 32 have been properly spaced, the fabric band 18 is brought about the entire surface of the array at the midpoint thereof and is secured to the individual loop elements 16 by the stitching 19.

In accordance with the sample method for making the mop heads of the present invention, the mop head assembly thus produced is suspended adjacent the band 18 so that the loops l6 freely depend therefrom. The

'mop head assembly is then subjected to rapid agitation to produce twisting of the loops 16 along substantially their entire length, and this agitation is preferably by movement in an arcuate path at a rapid rate, the arcuate path desirably being in the direction in which the strands of the yarn elements 24 are twisted. In this manner, the kinetic energy or biasing tendency of the twisted yarn will produce twisting of the loops 16 along :their length and the agitation is continued until the desired high degree of twist over substantially the entire length of the loops l6 outwardly of the band 18 is attained.

In this particular embodiment, two mop head assemblies are illustrated and the assemblies are superposed after the twisting operation and sewn together at the fabric bands 18 thereof to provide a thicker mop head for even greater absorptive capacity. I

Turning now to the embodiment of FIG. 3, therein illustrated partially diagrammatically is another embodiment of the present invention in which a single length 29 of yarn is wound back and forth across the centerline of the array to provide the loops 16 on both sides of the centerline of the array. It will be appreciated that the ends 30 of the length of yarn are disposed adjacent the centerline of the array so as to be concealed and protected by the fabric band 18 when it is applied. Following the formation of the array, the fabric band is applied and the assembly is agitated to produce the twisted condition shown in the illustration. The loops 16 have been shown spaced apart for purposes of clari-' ty of illustration and may lie in a common plane or overlap each other depending upon the disposition of the loops 16 at the centerline of the array. It can be seen that the loops 16 are not twisted adjacent the centerline of the array where the fabric band 18 is applied prior to agitation to produce twisting.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the construction of the embodiment of FIG. 2 is partially diagrammatically illustrated. Here the individual yarn elements 32 are shown as having their free ends 23 disposed adjacent each other, and they are spaced apart for clarity of illustration. With either the embodiment of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the individual yarn elements providing a pair of loops 16 may be overlapped at the centerline to produce overlapping of the loops 16 if so desired. When the fabric band is applied, the loops 16 at the center portion of the array do not twist so that the center portion of the array is flat.

In the embodiment of FIGS. and 6, the flexible interconnecting bonds A are spaced relatively closely adjacent the center fabric band 18. In mops, the greatest wear on the yarns tends to occur adjacent the handle 14 (or securing means 12) in the area designated X because the pressure of the swabbing action is concentrated in this area. As a result, the yarns tend to break off one at a time during extended usage. Because the yarns are loops 16 on either side of the centerline in mops of the present invention, this breakage would result in long lengths of yarn extending beyond the arcuate end portions of unfragmented loops. By spacing the interconnecting bands 20A closely adjacent the center fabric band 18, the breakage of individual yams or loops 16 in the area of concentrated wear X will not result in complete opening of the loops 16 since the loops are all secured together at a point outwardly therefrom by the bands 20A and the stitching 22.

The manner of effecting the agitation of the mop head assembly to produce the twisting may be varied and may be both manual and mechanical, it being necessary that the agitation be sufficient in time and energy to produce a multiplicity of twists along substantially the entire length of the loops outwardly of the securing means or band. Agitating devices of the type used to mix paint have been found highly suitable for .providing the motion desired. The motion can be circular or arcuate, and is preferably horizontal in the direction of the twisting of the yarn. The time period for the agitation will vary with the type of twisted yarn, the degree of twisting required by the application and the nature of energy supplied by the agitating means. When generally circular manual agitation is employed, a typical time period will be on the order of 4-7 minutes.

As previously indicated, the twisting should extend over substantially the entire length of the loops outwardly of the securing means or band and a multiplicity of twists should be provided. The number of twists along the length of each loop will vary with the length of the loop and the desired degree of absorption increase. As the number of twists are increased, the absorption is generally enhanced but excessive twisting must also be avoided to ensure that stresses are not produced by the twists which will prevent the loops from conforming closely to the floor. Thus, the number of twists along the length of each loop may vary from as few as four to 20 and even more depending upon the length and nature of the yarn. Preferably, at least five twists spaced along the length of the loop will be provided.

The tendency of the loops to twist in accordance with the present invention may be enhanced by the selection of unbalanced yarns known in the art resulting from excessive stresses in the twisting process. Normally, such yarns are undesirable for most applications but they do find application in the present invention. The material of the yarn may vary widely so long as it provides the requisite degree of absorptiveness and durability. Among the materials which are commonly employed are rayon, polyacrylonitrile, polyester and cotton; rayon is generally preferred.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the yarn loops are set in a twisted condition by the application of heat, chemicals or mechanical means to anneal or relieve the stresses produced in the yarn by the twisting processes. The methods and time of the setting process will vary with the yarn selected as ployed in that it serves to spread out the loops into a wider width and increase the coverage of the floor surface. After the twisting operation has been completed, the loops are fanned out into substantially planar condition and the band is applied thereto, generally by stitching. The location of this band is not critical; however, it is desirably located at a distance of about 2-5 inches from the closed ends of the loops to provide greatest effectiveness from the standpoint of fanning action and at a distance of about 2-5 inches from the central securing band to provide the greatest effectiveness from the standpoint of preventing broken yarns from spreading outwardly.

The yarn may be so assembled into the array so that i the loops do not overlap each other, that is with their longitudinal centerlines in substantially parallel relationship, or alternatively so that the loops do overlap. By substantially avoiding overlapping, the bulk at the center of the array may be reduced and engagement facilitated. The manner of securing the loops together adjacent the centerline may vary from the sewn band of the illustrated embodiments to application of a matrix of a synthetic resin which embeds the loops to application of heat or solvent to suitable synthetic plastic members to produce fusion thereof. The specific means employed should provide secure and flexible engagement of the loops to facilitate gripping within the mop handle.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides a method for making a mop head having extensively twisted loops of absorbent yarn to provide for good floor coverage, durability, and good water absorption. The mop head may be made by a method which is relatively simple, relatively economical and adaptable to various types of yarn. Expensive equipment is not required and manual operation may be even employed.

We claim:

1. A mop head having highly desirable absorption and durability comprising a multiplicity of elongated generally U-shaped loops of absorbent yarn extending to opposite sides of the centerline thereof with the arcuate end portions of said loops providing the ends of said mop head, said mop head being of substantial width and being of substantially equal length to opposite sides of said centerline, said multiplicity of elongated generally U-shaped loops including portions extending inwardly from said arcuate end portions thereof having a multiplicity of twists spaced therealong and an intermediate portion extending therebetween wherein each of said loops is untwisted, securing means bonding said loops together over a portion of said intermediate portion thereof extending to opposite sides of said centerline, said loops being substantially free from intertwining along the length thereof and a single piece of yarn forms only one loop on each side of said centerline.

2. The mop head of claim 1 wherein said loops are arranged with their longitudinal axes substantially parallel when said loops are freely depending.

3. The mop head of claim 1 wherein at least some of said generally U-shaped loops at least partially overlie some other loops.

4. The mop head of claim 1 additionally including flexible interconnecting bandsspaced to op osite sides of said securing means extending about sal loops and secured thereto.

5. The mop head of claim 6 wherein said U-shaped loops are fanned out into a generally planar form on each side of said centerline and are secured in said fanned out form by said flexible interconnecting bands.

6. The mop head of claim 1 wherein two loop assemblies each comprised of as defined in claim 1 are secured together in overlying relationship.

7. The mop head in accordance with claim 1 wherein said yarn is rayon.

8. The mop head of claim 1 wherein the yarn of said twisted loops is annealed after twisting.

Claims

4. The mop head of claim 1 additionally including flexible interconnecting bands spaced to opposite sides of said securing means extending about said loops and secured thereto.

7. The mop head in accordance with claim 1 wherein said yarn is rayon.