WO1999051137A1

WO1999051137A1 - Mop press and mop press carrier

Info

Publication number: WO1999051137A1
Application number: PCT/GB1999/000944
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Robert Duncan; Michael Edward Gailes
Original assignee: Numatic International Limited
Priority date: 1998-04-03
Filing date: 1999-03-26
Publication date: 1999-10-14
Also published as: AU3156899A; GB2339144A; GB9926065D0; GB2339144B

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of floor cleaning and in particular relates to a mop press and a mop press carrier for squeezing or pressing mops after they have been rinsed or charged with cleaning solution. According to the present invention, there is provided a mop press (10) comprising a housing (11) which is open at an upper end to receive a mop head for pressing thereof, a pressing member (30) and pressing member displacement means for moving the pressing member from a starting position towards a finishing position thereby to effect pressing of the mop head, which pressing member displacement means comprises an actuation lever (22) pivotally attached to the housing (11) whereby in use the lever (22) may be moved through an arc about a generally horizontal axis of rotation (21), and wherein the housing (11) is provided with mop press attachment means (150) for attaching the mop press (10) to a mop press carrier (100), which mop press attachment means (150) is adapted to support the mop press (10) at a location above the axis of rotation (21) of the actuation lever (22).

Description

1 MOP PRESS AND MOP PRESS CARRIER

This invention relates to the field of floor cleaning and in particular relates to methods and apparatus for squeezing or pressing mops after they have been rinsed or charged with cleaning solution.

In recent decades there have been two types of mop presses available on the market. These may be described as (1) geared-down pressure presses and (2) vertical presses. The geared-down presses operate by moving a pressing member down onto the absorbent material of a mop head entered into a housing of the press. This squeezes the mop head and thereby forces water to drain through holes in the housing and back into a rinsing/charging bucket underneath the wringer. The vertical presses operate by moving a generally vertically oriented pressing member from one side of a housing into which a mop head is entered and towards another side. The mop head is squeezed between the pressing member and the said another side of the housing and fluid in the mop head is thereby forced out and collected in a bucket below.

In both cases the press is provided with pressing member displacement means for moving the pressing member from a starting position and towards a finishing position 2 thereby to effect pressing of the mop head. The pressing member displacement means typically comprises an actuation lever pivotally attached to the housing whereby in use the lever may be moved through an arc to effect pressing.

In use the mop press is either attached directly to the side of a bucket or is attached to a trolley which carries a suitable bucket. The housing is typically removably attached to the bucket or trolley by means of two horizontally spaced apart hook members. The hook members are provided at a back edge region of the housing so that the press may sit over an open bucket. In order to ensure that the mop wringer remains above the fluid level in the bucket, the hook members are formed at a bottom edge region of the back edge of the housing so that most of the press, in use, sits generally above the edge of the bucket.

A problem with this arrangement is that the mop wringer is rather unsteady, and the forces exerted by the mop press on the bucket below considerable. Hence for normal use the presses tend to be hooked over horizontal rigid metal members provided on trolleys which are used to carry one or more buckets. Although the trolleys provide a more stable base for mop pressing, the horizontal 3 members tend to suffer very high loads in use as the actuation lever is used to exert pressure on a mop head in the housing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mop press which is more stable in use and causes less severe loading to a trolley or bucket to which it is attached.

It is another object of the invention to provide mop press carriers which are suited to efficient use with the improved mop carrier.

According to the present invention there is provided a mop press comprising a housing which is open at an upper end to receive a mop head for pressing thereof, a pressing member and pressing member displacement means for moving the pressing member from a starting position towards a finishing position thereby to effect pressing of the mop head, which pressing member displacement means comprises an actuation lever pivotally attached to the housing whereby in use the lever may be moved through an arc about a generally horizontal axis of rotation, and wherein the housing is provided with mop press attachment means for attaching the mop press to a mop press carrier, which mop press attachment means is adapted to support 4 the mop press at a location above the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

The actuation lever may, for example, be a foot-operated lever but is preferably a handle.

Preferably the housing is provided with abutment means located below the attachment means and configured in use to abut a portion of the carrier, the arrangement being such that when the lever is moved to effect pressing the housing is held against rotation with the lever by the attachment means and abutment with the carrier.

The attachment means may be adapted to engage with the mop press carrier at a location laterally spaced away from the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

The attachment means may be disposed on an outside rear wall portion of the housing press. Preferably, the attachment means is disposed on an outside rear wall portion of the mop press and on an upper edge region thereof.

The attachment means may comprise one or more hook members. In one embodiment the attachment means comprises two laterally spaced apart hook members which hook 5 members are disposed along a line generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

In certain embodiments the mop press housing is tapered towards a lower end so that it is broader at the top than at the bottom. This has the added advantage of ensuring that attachment means at or near the top of the housing will permit the mop press to overhang a bucket in the trolley without the need for supports to which the attachment means are attached being located over the bucket and therefore liable to foul the bucket as it is removed from the trolley from time to time.

The housing may be provided with secondary attachment means adapted to permit attachment of the mop press to a mop carrier at a location below the axis of rotation of the actuation lever in the manner of the prior art arrangements . In this way the improved mop press of the present invention may be used with conventional buckets which may not be deep enough for effective use with the attachment means of the invention.

The pressing member displacement means may be adapted to displace the pressing member by movement of the actuation lever from a rear edge of the housing to a front edge of the housing. 6 Preferably the axis of rotation of the actuation lever is located at a back edge region of the housing.

According to a different aspect of the invention there is provided a mop press carrier for use with an improved mop press as hereinbefore described, which carrier comprises a trolley provided with a bucket support, which tray is adapted to locate and maintain a bucket placed on the trolley in a location suitable for the collection of fluid from the mop press when in use, and further provided with mop press support means adapted to support the mop press above the bucket opening, wherein the mop press support means is disposed at a position spaced apart horizontally and vertically from the closest edge of the bucket, the arrangement being such that in the absence of the mop press the bucket, in its mop press fluid collection position, may be lifted vertically from the bucket tray without fouling the bucket support means.

The mop press support means preferably comprises a generally horizontally extending elongate support member disposed co-planar with generally vertical members which rigidly carry the support member. Because the elongate support member is co-planar with the vertical members, there is no tendency for the bucket to foul the support member as the bucket is lifted from the trolley for 7 emptying etc . Hence there is no need to make the support member foldable as is the case in certain prior art trolleys.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a mop press carrier for use with an improved mop press as hereinbefore described, which carrier consists of a bucket comprising a base formed with generally upstanding sidewalls which define an open enclosure for carrying fluid, wherein an upper edge portion of the bucket sidewall is built up to a level higher than a general edge lip of the bucket, the upper edge portion thereby providing a location for attachment of the mop press.

The built-up upper edge portion may be reinforced to increase its stiffness relative to the remainder of the bucket sidewall. In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention the reinforcement comprises a lattice of strengthening ridges.

Following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the drawings of methods of putting the present invention into effect.

In the drawings:- 8 Figure 1 is a view, partially in section, from one side of a trolley and mop press according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the mop press of figure 1, demonstrating the mode of operation.

Figure 3 is a side view of a bucket according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a side view of the mop press of figures 1 and 2 shown engaged with the bucket of figure 3.

A mop press according to the present invention is shown generally as 10 in figure 1. The press comprises a moulded plastics material housing 11. The housing comprises a base portion 12 provided with a plurality of drain holes 13. Upstanding and tapering outwards from a front end of the base portion is a front wall 14. The front wall is provided with a plurality of drain holes

(not shown in the figures) and a plurality of horizontal ridge members 15 which stiffen and strengthen the wall structure.

Upstanding and tapering outwardly from a rear end of the base portion is a rear wall 16. The housing is completed 9 by upstanding side walls 17 (one only visible in the figure) . Each side wall is provided with three parallel horizontal slots 18,19,20 as shown in figure 1. An axle 21 is mounted for rotation next to an outside surface of the rear wall 16. Attached to the axle is a lever 22 which is provided at a distal end thereof with a handle 23. A pressing mechanism (not shown but of a type common in the art) responds to movement of the axle in order to push a pressing member 30 (shown in figure 2) which is shown juxtaposed the rear wall 16 of the housing. The pressing member is a moulded plastics rectilinear plate provided with an array of draining holes (not shown) . The pressing member is provided at each side end thereof with three lugs 31,32 and 33. These lugs engage with the slots 18,19 and 20 respectively to maintain the pressing member in a generally vertical orientation during movement in the housing.

The mop press is shown in figure 1 attached to a trolley 100. The trolley comprises two L-shaped tubular steel frame members (one visible as 101) . The two frame members are laterally spaced apart one from the other by three vertically spaced apart transverse metal tubular members 102,103 and 104. The transverse members are welded to the frame members to from a ladder like structure between the upright portions of the L of the frames. The horizontal 10 base portion 105 of the frames is provided at the elbow of the L-shape with an axle 106. The axle carries at outside ends thereof two wheels (one visible as 107) . The distal end region 108 of each frame base portion is provided with a castor 109. Between the two base portions of the L-shape frames a base plate 110 is provided. The base plate locates and accommodates the lower end of a removable bucket 120. The bucket shown is a standard prior art square-type bucket.

The mop press 10 is attached to the trolley frame by the engagement of two laterally spaced apart hook members (one visible as 50) with the middle member 103 of the three transverse members . The hook member is moulded integrally with the mop housing and located at an upper back edge region of the housing as shown in figure 1. The hook members are displaced laterally with respect to inside edge of the back wall to the extent that the entire mop press housing can over hang the bucket 120 without the transverse member 103 being displaced from the plane of the L-shaped frame. This removes the need for a folding transverse member which in use protrudes from the plane of the frame and can foul the bucket as it is lifted out of the trolley.

A lower portion 52 of the housing abuts the lower member 11 104 of the transverse frame members. This lower member abutment prevents the mop press from rotating (clockwise in the figure) beyond a vertical orientation. The abutment position is preferably below the axis of rotation 21 of the lever 22. A further set of hook members 60 is provided in the usual prior art position underneath the axis of rotation 21.

Movement of the lever 21 through the arc α in the direction A, as shown in figure 2, causes the pressing member 30 to move from the rear wall to a pressing position (shown in dashed lines) in which a mop head (not shown) entered into the housing is pressed against an inside surface 34 of the front wall. The user exerts pressure on the handle 23 to squeeze a mop head constrained between the member 30 and the front wall 34. This pressure causes a lateral reaction, shown by arrow B in figure 2, in the transverse member 103 of the trolley, and a lateral reaction C in the transverse member 104. because the axis 21 is between the upper attachment 103,50 and the lower abutment 104, the arrangement is very stable . In this way the mop wringer is provided with a much more positive action, with less tendency for flexing during operation (of the mop housing or trolley) . 12 A bucket according to the present invention is shown in figure 3 as 200. The bucket comprises a generally rectilinear base portion 201. The base portion is provided with upstanding front 202 and rear 203 wall portions. Also provided are two side walls (one visible) 204. A central upper edge region of the each side wall is provided with engagement means 205 for the press fitting of respective ends of a U-shaped bucket handle (not shown) . The an upper edge 107 of the front wall and an upper front edge portion 206 of the side wall are provided with a smooth lip portion 208. The lip portion extends along the side wall beyond the engagement means 205.

An upper edge region 210 of the rear wall 203 is built up to a higher level than the lip 208. The built up portion 210 extends around and into the sidewalls 204. The built-up side walls gradually taper back down to the level of the lip 208, meeting at the engagement means 205. The built up portion 210 and a portion beneath are reinforced by means of a latticework of moulded vertical 211 and horizontal 212 ribs. This provides an increase in stiffness and strength.

In use, a mop press 10 (in dotted lines) according to the present invention is placed on the back wall 203 of the 13 bucket as shown in figure 4. The raised portion 210 ensures that the mop press sits above a reasonable water level in the bucket. The reinforcement provides the strength to maintain a stable support for the mop press. The reinforcement also provides the necessary wall thickness to ensure a snug fit of the mop press, both at the hook members 50 and at the abutment of the mop press back wall and the bucket inside back wall.

Claims

14 CLAIMS

1. A mop press comprising a housing which is open at an upper end to receive a mop head for pressing thereof, a pressing member and pressing member displacement means for moving the pressing member from a starting position towards a finishing position thereby to effect pressing of the mop head, which pressing member displacement means comprises an actuation lever pivotally attached to the housing whereby in use the lever may be moved through an arc about a generally horizontal axis of rotation movement of which lever causes said pressing member to be moved, and wherein the housing is provided with mop press attachment means for attaching the mop press to a mop press carrier, which mop press attachment means is adapted to support the mop press at a location above the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

2. A mop press as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing is provided with abutment means located below the attachment means and configured in use to abut a portion of the carrier, the arrangement being such that when the lever is moved to effect pressing, the housing is held against rotation with 15 the lever by engagement of the attachment means with the carrier and abutment with the carrier.

3. A mop press as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the attachment means is adapted to engage with the mop press carrier at a location laterally spaced away from the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

4. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the attachment means is disposed on an outside rear wall portion of the housing press.

5. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the attachment means is disposed on an outside rear wall portion of the mop press and on an upper edge region thereof.

6. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the attachment means comprises one or more hook members .

7. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the attachment means comprises two laterally spaced apart hook members, which hook members are disposed along a line generally parallel to the axis 16 of rotation of the actuation lever.

8. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mop press housing is inwardly tapered towards a lower end so that it is broader at the top than at the bottom.

9. A mop press as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the housing is provided with secondary attachment means adapted to permit attachment of the mop press to a mop carrier at a location below the axis of rotation of the actuation lever.

10. A mop press carrier for use with an improved mop press as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, which carrier comprises a trolley provided with a bucket support, which bucket support is adapted to locate and maintain a bucket placed on the trolley in a location suitable for the collection of fluid from the mop press when in use, and further provided with mop press support means adapted to support the mop press above the bucket opening, wherein the mop press support means is disposed at a position spaced apart horizontally and vertically from the closest edge of the bucket, the arrangement being such that in the absence of the mop press the bucket, in its 17 mop press fluid collection position, may be lifted vertically from the bucket tray without fouling the bucket support means .

11. A carrier as claimed in claim 10 wherein the mop press support means comprises a generally horizontally extending elongate support member disposed co-planar with generally vertical members which rigidly carry the support member.

12. A mop press carrier for use with a mop press as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, which carrier consists of a bucket comprising a base formed with generally upstanding sidewalls which define an open enclosure for carrying fluid, wherein an upper edge portion of the bucket sidewall is built up to a level higher than a general edge lip of the bucket, the upper edge portion thereby providing a location for attachment of the mop press.

13. A carrier as claimed in claim 12 wherein the built- up upper edge portion is reinforced to increase its stiffness relative to the remainder of the bucket sidewall.

14. A carrier as claimed in claim 13 wherein the 18 reinforcement comprises a lattice of strengthening ridges .