US2813287A - Combined mop and wringer - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 19, 1957 s, V U H 2,813,287

COMBINED MQP AND WRINGER Original Filed April 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT OR SIDNEY P. VAUGHN ATTORNEY Nov. 19, 1957 s. P. VAUGHN COMBINED MOP AND WRINGER Original Filed April 16, 1949 2 SheetsSheet 2 3 mm F INVENTOR SIDNEY P VAUGHN BY F56 I ATTORNEY 2,313,287 Patented Nov. 19, 1957 COMBINED MOP AND WRINGER Sidney P. Vaughn, San Diego, Calif.

Original application April 16, 1949, Serial No. 87,976,

now Patent No. 2,708,282, dated May 17, 1955. Digildsegzzind this application March 14, 1951, Serial No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-119) My invention relates to a sponge mop, more particularly to an improvement over the structures disclosed in my former patents, Nos. 2,153,601 and 2,165,319, issued April 11, 1939, and July 11, 1939, respectively, and is a divisional application of my application Serial No. 87,976, filed April 16, 1949, now Patent No. 2,708,282, in which a grid type of wringer attachment is provided to squeeze the water out of the sponge element, and the objects of my invention are:

An important object of the invention is to provide means whereby the presser element may be arranged above the mop head and then shifted to a position beneath the mop head to press or squeeze the cleaning element without liability of tearing or injuring the cleaning element.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pivotal knee joint between the presser element and sWinging link which knee joint will break forwardly in opposition to the spring which tends to hold the same closed, so that the swinging link and presser element swing forwardly as a unit throughout a portion of the forward movement of the presser element.

A further object of the invention is to provide a connection between the swinging link and presser element, which connection is of simplified connection and is out of the way in use.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my mop, showing the wringer thereof in stationary position adjacent the handle of the mop when not in use; Fig. 2 is an end view of the mop in wringing position, showing the handle thereof fragmentarily, and illustrating said mop from one end of the cleaning element; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of my mop; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken from the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on the same plane as Fig. 4, showing one of the two stiffening rods embedded in the material of the cleaning element; Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5, showing a modified means of connecting the stiffening rods with the cleaning element; and Fig. 7 is a transverse fragmentary sectional view through the plane of the handle.

. Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The sponge cleaning element 1, cleaning element backing 2, stiffening rods 3, mop head 4, hooks 5, mop head latch 6, latch hook 6a, latch clip 7, wringer 8, wringer hinge link 9, wringer handle 10, torsion spring 11, wringer securing clip 12, and the mop handle 13, constitute the principal parts and portions of my mop.

The cleaning element 1, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, is preferably a block of cellulose sponge or other suitable sponge material, provided with a fabric or other flexible backing element 2, secured to the upper surface thereof. As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, below the plane of the flexible backing 2, the cleaning element 1 is provided with longitudinal grooves 1a in which the stiffening rods 3 are embedded. These stiffening rods 3 are, preferably made of rust proof steel wire, or may be made of any other suitable material, as desired, having a substantially rigid character.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the sponge cleaning element 1 is provided with longitudinal grooves 1a, filled with cement 1b, substantially surrounding the stiffening rods 3, over which the flexible backing element 2 is adhered, it being noted that the stifiening rods 3 are substantially below the plane of the adhesive connecting the cleaning element flexible backing 2 to the cleaning element 1.

The primary function of the grooves in the sponge cleaning element is to facilitate the assembly of the stiffening rods 3 and the flexible backing to the sponge cleaning element. First, parallel grooves or slots 1:: are sawed near the front and rear edges of the sponge cleaning element. Second, a self-curing rubber cement is placed in the grooves, after which the stiffening rods 3 are embedded in the cement. Third, a self-curing rubber cement is spread evenly over a sheet of fabric, or other suitable flexible material, and the sponge cleaning element is applied to its backing with the stiffening rods adjacent to the backing. After the cement has set, the backing is trimmed flush with the block of sponge. This method of assembly speeds up production over previous methods used, such as illus trated and described in my Patents Nos. 2,298,320 and 2,358,673.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, a flexible rubber backing member 2a is illustrated, which is adhered to the cleaning element 1 by means of rubber cement 2b, which also surrounds the stitfening rods 3 in the recess 1a, as disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In the construction as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the rubber sheet 2a may be eliminated by using a thick coating of self-curing rubber compound, Which will bond also the stiffening rods 3 in the grooves 1a of the cleaning element 1. This construction not only provides for efficient connection of the cleaning element to the mop head, but also provides for the extended life of the cleaning element at its connection with the mop head.

The upper side of the sponge cleaning element 1 and the backing element 2 are provided with opening 10- and M, as shown in Fig. 4, through which the hooks 5 and the mop head latch hook 6a, respectively, extend into engagement with the stiffening rods 3. It will be noted that the opening 1d is substantially elongated, to permit the arcuate travel of the hook portion 6a of the mop head latch 6,

which pivots about the axis of the pin 4a, extending longitudinally through the mop head 4, all as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The pins 4a and 4b of the mop head 4 provide for reinforcing of the mop head 4, which is preferably made of a plate of sheet metal. These pins 4a and 4b also act as hinge pins for the mop head latch 6 and the wringer hinge link 9, respectively. The mop head 4 is substantially coextensive with the upper surface of the cleaning element 1, and secured substantially at the middle thereof is the handle socket 40, which is provided with clamping flanges 4d, through which the clamp bolt 4:: extends, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7 of the drawings. Integral with the portions 4d are the latch clips 7, having notch portions 76; therein, adapted to receive the horizontal bar portion 6b of the mop head latch 6, all as shown best in Figs. 3 and 7 of the drawings.

The mop head latch 6 is provided with a pair of spaced I hinge eyes 60, which are entwined about the pin 4a, adjacent to the hook portions 6a, which engage one of the stiffening rods 3 embedded in the cleaning element 1. The intermediate bar portion 6b of the mop head latch 6, which is integral with the hinge eyes 6c, is resilient and laterally deflectable into engagement with the notch; portions 7a of ii the latch clips 7, which are integral with the flanges 4d of the handle socket 40, as hereinbefore described.

The hinge link 9, which connects the wringer 8 with the mop head 4, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7, is substantially- L-shaped in cross-section, and. is provided with hinge eyes da and 9b, which are pivoted about the axis of the lower bar 8a of the wringer 8, and the axis of the pin 4b of the mop head 4, respectively. Surrounding the lower bar 3a intermediate the hinge eyes 9a of the wringer hinge link 9 a torsion spring 11 is provided. The torsion spring has its opposite ends 11a and lllb bearing against the wringer 8 and the wringer hinge 9, respectively, all as shown best in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The grid wringer 8 is substantially rectangular, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and is provided with a plurality of individual grille bars 8b, which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cleaning element 1, and which are attached intermediate their ends to the spaced arms 10a and 10b of the handle Ill, all as shown best in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It is to be noted that the action of the torsion spring 11 tends to maintain the stop 9c in contact with the back of the wringer 8 or presser element. In cases where the hinge link is wide and has large pivotal bearing surfaces, the upper pivotal bearing surfaces 9a may be constructed to provide sufficient friction to maintain the stop in contact with the wringer until the wringer reaches an operative position as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the friction of the bearing 9b should be made less than the friction in the pivotal bearing 9a.

The ends of the handle arms Ida and Nib of the handle 10 are secured to the lower bar 8a of the wringer 8 common to the axis of the hinge eyes 9a of the wringer hinge member 9. Theupper bar 80 of the wringer frame 8 or presser element engages the resilient clip 12, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, for holding the handle 10 in a position adjacent to the mop handle 13 when not in use. It will be noted that the wringer hinge link 9 is provided with a stop 90, which engages the bars 812 at the rear side thereof, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thus preventing clockwise movement thereof about the hinge pin 8a beyond the aligned position shown in Fig. 1; Intermediate the hinge eyes 9b which secure the hinge link to the mop head 4, a stop 9d, Figures 1 and 7, is provided in the hinge link and a stop if is provided in the mop head 4 to limit the anti-clockwise movement of the hinge link to that position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, which places the wringer in proper position for squeezing the water out of the sponge cleaning element. Further anticlockwise movement of the handle 10 causes the wringer to turn around the opposite hinge pin formed by the lower bar 8a of the wringer 8. it will be noted that the torsion spring 11 keeps the wringer 8 in contact with the stop 90 of the hinge link 9 until the proper wringing position is reached, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, after which the spring gives and permits continued anti-clockwise movement of the wring-er 8.

The operation of my mop is substantially as follows:

When the mop, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, is used as a cleaning device, the cleaning element 1 is passed over the surface being cleaned in the conventional manner, and when it is desired to disconnect and replace the cleaning element l, the latch bar 6b is vertically deflected laterally of its axis out of engagement with the notch portions 711 of the latch 7, and the latch member 6 is then pivoted in a clockwise direction, disconnecting the hook portions 6a therefrom from the rear stiffening bar 3, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The sponge cleaning element 1 may be then removed by downward movement of the rear edge of the cleaning element and retraction of the hooks from the holes 10, as shown in- Fig. 4, which provides for disengagement of the clips 5 from the front stiffening rod 3.

When it is desired to squeeze the water from the sponge cleaning element 1, the wringer handle is moved forwardly and downward in an anti-clockwise movement. This movement disengages the wringer bar from the clip 12. The action of the torque spring 11 keeps the stop in contact with the back of the wringer 8 and causes rotation around the hinge pin 4b until the stop 9d of the hinge link 9 makes contact with the stop 4] in the mop head between the hinge eyes 90. This is the proper wringing position and the degree of compression of the sponge is governed by the length of the hinge link. Further movement of the handle in an anti-clockwise direction causes the wringer to rotate around the hinge pin formed by the lower bar 8a of the grid wringer. This action brings the wringer into contact with the sponge cleaning element, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, and squeezes the water out of the sponge cleaning element. When the handle is returned to normal position the clip 12 engages the upper bar 8c of the wringer grid and holds the wringer in place until again ready for use. In this return movement the wringer turns first around the hinge pin formed by the hinge bar 8a until contact is made with the stop 9c, after which the wringer turns around the hinge pin 4b. The movements described above are very important to obtain a proper wringing action and to prevent tearing the sponge cleaning element from its backing. Thus, it will be noted that the hinge link stops and the torsion spring perform a very important function.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mop comprising, a mop head, a handle secured to the mop head and arranged above the same, a resilient clip secured to the handle and spaced from the mop head, a cleaning sponge element arranged beneath the mop head and secured to the mop head, a pivot element secured to the mop head near its forward edge, a swinging link mounted upon the pivot element to be moved over the forward edge of the mop head, said mop head and swinging link having stop edges arranged to engage each other when the swinging link is swung downwardly over the forward edge of the mop head to limit further movement of the swinging link in that direction, a stop carried bythe opposite end of the swinging link remote from the pivot element and extending outwardly beyond such opposite end and toward the clip when such link is positioned above the mop head, a presser frame including side elements, one side element being pivotally mounted upon the said opposite end of said link adjacent to the inner end of said stop, the stop overlapping a portion of the presser frame when the link and presser frame are in the position above the mop head, the presser frame having its opposite side element detachably held by the resilient clip, a coil spring mounted upon the side element which is pivotally mounted upon said link and having one end engaging the link and its opposite end engaging the presser frame, the coil spring serving to urge the presser frame into contact with said stop, a handle disposed rearwardly of the presser frame and mounted upon said side element which is pivoted upon said link and adapted to swing the presser frame and link forwardly as a unit until the presser frame assumes a position forwardly of the edge of the mop head, the then lower end of the link being then arranged near the lower face of the cleaning sponge element, the handle being then employed to overcome the action of the spring and swing the presser frame from the stop into contact with the lower face of the cleaning sponge element to compress the same.

2. A mop comprising, a mop head provided at its forward end with a pair of spaced sleeves extending longitudinally thereof, a handle secured to the mop head and' arranged above the same, a resilient clip secured to the} handle and spaced from the mop head, a cleaning sponge element arranged beneath the mop head and secured to the mop head, a pin held within the spaced sleeves and extending between their inner ends, an L-shaped swinging link provided at one end with. a pair of first spaced eyes pivotally receiving said pin and arranged between said sleeves, said link being provided adjacent to said first eyes with a stop edge and said mop head being provided between said sleeves with a stop edge arranged in the path of travel of the stop edge of the swinging link, said swinging link being adapted to be moved over the forward edge of the mop head and the stop edges engaging to limit the swinging movement of said link in that direction, a stop carried by the opposite end of the L-shaped swinging link remote from said pin and extending outwardly beyond such opposite end and toward the clip when such link is positioned above the mop head, a presser frame including side elements, second spaced eyes formed upon the said opposite end of the link and pivotally receiving one side element, the stop overlapping a portion of the presser frame when said link and presser frame are in the position above the mop head, the opposite side element of the presser frame being detachably held by the resilient clip, a coil spring mounted upon the side element pivoted within the second eyes and disposed between said second eyes, said coil spring having one end engaging the link and its opposite end engaging the presser frame, the coil spring serving to urge the presser frame into contact with said stop, a handle to swing the presser frame and link forwardly, the lower end of the link being arranged near the lower face of the cleaning sponge element when the link is swung to the lowered forward position, the handle being then employed to overcome the action of the spring and swing the presser frame from the stop into contact with the lower face of the cleaning sponge element to compress the same.

3. A mop comprising, a mop head, a handle element secured to the mop head and projecting above the same, a compressible absorbent element mounted upon the lower face of the mop head, a swinging link, means pivotally connecting the swinging link and mop head, the swinging link being movable toward and away from the handle element, a presser element, means pivotally connecting the presser element and the swinging link at a point spaced from the first-named pivotal connecting means, stop means associated with the presser element and swinging link to hold the presser element against turning movement in one direction toward said handle element and in relation to the swinging link, the stop means permitting the relative swinging movement of the presser element with respect to the swinging link in a direction away from said handle element, a spring bearing against the presser element and swinging link and tending to move the presser element with respect to the swinging link in a direction toward said handle element, an operating handle connected with the presser element to move the same, and stop means associated with the mop head and swinging link and serving to positively limit the swinging movement of said link in a direction away from said handle element when said link has been moved away from said handle element to a selected position at which its projects below said mop head, the arrangement being such that the presser element and swinging link swing as a unit without relative movement between the presser element and swinging link and when the stop means associated with the swinging link and mop head limit the outward movement of the swinging link, the operating handle will then overcome the force of said spring and the presser element will be moved against the lower face of the compressible absorbent element without substantial relative movement between the presser element and absorbent element in a plane parallel with the mop head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,821,136 Solakowski Sept. 1, 1931 2,093,101 Sendler Sept. 14, 1937 2,153,601 Vaughn Apr. 11, 1939 2,165,319 Vaughn July 11, 1939 2,222,368 Lux Nov. 19, 1940 2,390,753 Trindl Dec. 11, 1945 2,443,954 Givens June 22, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 411,314 Great Britain June 7, 1934 611,571 Germany Mar. 30, 1935

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