Wringer mop with auxiliary cleaning elements

• US 5,097,561 A
• Filed: 12/16/1987
• Issued: 03/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Freudenberg Household Products LP (Freudenberg & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: M. B. Walton, Inc.
• Inventors: Torres, Bonifacio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GERRITY, STEPHEN FRANCIS
• Application Number:
  US07/133,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 15/119 A, 15/119 R, 15/116.1, 15/116.2
• US Class Current: 15/119.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/144 having squeezing rollers

Abstract

A wringer mop with auxiliary cleaning elements is disclosed. The wringer mop includes a mop head having a mounting member disposed at its center. The mop head is mountable on an operating rod by turning the mop head about its central vertical axis. Once mounted, the mop head is held in place by sets of wringer rollers. The wringer mop also includes a mop head housing having projections extending into the interior of the mop handle to limit lateral movement of the operating rod. The mop head housing is strengthened by channel-defining walls. Auxiliary cleaning elements and a bracket for mounting the auxiliary cleaning elements are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A mop head housing for use with a wringer mop of the type having an elongate handle with a hollow interior and an elongate operating rod extending through the hollow interior of the handle, the mop head housing comprising a pair of mating shells, each shell including a projection extending from the shell, the two projections from the mating shells being adapted to project into the hollow interior of the mop handle to define a path through which the operating rod may extending to thereby limit the lateral movement of the operating rod.

2. A mop head housing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the projections comprise opposing forked members, the prongs of the forked members defining the path through which the operating rod may extend.

3. A mop head housing for use with a sponge mop of the type having sets of wringer rollers to expel fluid from the sponge, the mop head housing comprising a pair of mating shells having side walls and channel-defining walls along the edges of the side walls, said channel-defining walls including end walls disposed along the edges of the side walls and strengthening walls disposed along the edges of the end walls, the end walls being substantially orthogonal to the side walls and the strengthening walls being substantially orthogonal to the end walls.

4. A wringer mop comprising:

a. an elongate handle having a longitudinal opening within the handle'"'"'s interior extending from the handle'"'"'s medial portion to the lower end of the handle;

b. an elongate operating rod having an upper end disposed at the medial portion of the handle, an elongate segment extending downwardly from the upper end through the longitudinal opening in the interior of the handle and a lower connecting end, the lower connecting end of the operating rod defining a hook lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the elongate segment of the operating rod;

c. a mop head housing fixed at the lower end of the mop handle, the mop head housing including;

1) a pair of mating shells, each shell having;

(a) an upper portion defining a partial socket for the captive retention of the lower end of the mop handle between the two shells; and

(b) bifurcated end walls forming apertured support legs at their lower ends;

2) a set of parallel axles extending through the apertures of the support legs of the shells;

3) first and second sets of spaced wringer rollers supported on the axles of each shell, the two sets of spaced rollers being substantially parallel to each other and defining an elongate passageway therebetween;

d. a replaceable mop head including;

1) an elongate sponge;

2) an elongate spine disposed in the elongate passageway between the sets of spaced wringer rollers and defining a channel in which a portion of the elongate sponge is held, the elongate sponge having a portion exposed beyond the spine;

3) a mounting member having an apertured face extending upwardly from the spine and disposed substantially at the central vertical axis of the replaceable mop head, with the hook of the operating rod extending through the aperture to mount the mop head on the operating rod;

e. operating means associated with the upper end of the operating rod for pushing the rod downwardly for mounting and removing the mop head and for pulling the rod upwardly so that the exposed portion of the sponge is pulled between the set of spaced wringer rollers to compress the sponge.

5. A wringer mop as claimed in claim 4 wherein the hook end of the operating rod includes a medial segment integral with and substantially perpendicular to the elongate segment and a terminating segment integral with the medial segment, the terminating segment being substantially perpendicular to the medial segment and substantially parallel to the aperture face of the mounting member.