U.S. patent application number 11/215873 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-09 for dust mop having dust-collecting protrusions.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNGER MARKETING INTERNATIONAL, LLC.. Invention is credited to William Fiebel, Paul Lacotta, John Moldauer.
Application Number | 20060048327 11/215873 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36036835 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060048327 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lacotta; Paul ; et
al. |
March 9, 2006 |
Dust mop having dust-collecting protrusions
Abstract
A dust mop having a base, debris-collecting protrusions, and one
or more attachment members is provided. The base has a top surface
and a bottom surface. The debris-collecting protrusions are defined
on the bottom surface. Each of the protrusions defines a planar
section facing a cleaning direction. The attachment members
removably secure a cleaning sheet over the bottom surface.
Inventors: |
Lacotta; Paul; (Tenafly,
NJ) ; Fiebel; William; (West Orange, NJ) ;
Moldauer; John; (East Meadow, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
George W. Rauchfuss, Esq.;Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle, L.L.P.
10th Floor
One Landmark Square
Stamford
CT
06901-2682
US
|
Assignee: |
UNGER MARKETING INTERNATIONAL,
LLC.
|
Family ID: |
36036835 |
Appl. No.: |
11/215873 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60606234 |
Sep 1, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/228 ;
15/231 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/256
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/228 ;
015/231 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/10 20060101
A47L013/10 |
Claims
1. A dust mop comprising: a base having a top surface and a bottom
surface; a plurality of debris-collecting protrusions defined on
said bottom surface, each of said plurality of debris-collecting
protrusions defining a planar section facing a cleaning direction;
and one or more attachment members for removably securing a
cleaning sheet over said bottom surface.
2. The dust mop as in claim 1, further comprising an extension pole
moveably secured to said top surface by a hinge member.
3. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein said base is generally
rectangular.
4. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein the mop cleaning sheet is
useable as a wet mopping application and/or a dry mopping
application.
5. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are generally disposed lengthwise
along a major axis of said bottom surface.
6. The dust mop as in claim 5, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions have a generally wavy or undulating
appearance along said major axis.
7. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions repeat in a staggered pattern along a
minor axis of said bottom surface.
8. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions comprise two protrusions, said two
protrusions being diagonal with respect to a major axis of said
bottom surface so that so that a generally v-shaped debris
collection area is defined.
9. The dust mop as in claim 8, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are linear or curvilinear.
10. The dust mop as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions comprise a plurality of support
regions along a leading edge of said base.
11. A dust mop comprising: a base having a minor axis and a major
axis; a plurality of debris-collecting protrusions defined on said
base; and one or more attachment members for removably securing a
cleaning sheet over said base, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are sufficient to foul to about
ninety percent of the cleaning sheet along said minor axis during
use of the dust mop.
12. The dust mop as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are sufficient to foul up to about
eighty percent of the cleaning sheet along said minor axis during
use of the dust mop.
13. The dust mop as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are sufficient to foul between about
forty percent to about sixty percent of the cleaning sheet along
said minor axis during use of the dust mop.
14. The dust mop as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are generally disposed lengthwise
along said major axis.
15. The dust mop as in claim 14, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions have a generally wavy or undulating
appearance along said major axis.
16. The dust mop as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions repeat in a staggered pattern along
said minor axis.
17. The dust mop as in claim 11, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions comprise two protrusions, said two
protrusions being diagonal with respect to said major axis so that
so that a generally v-shaped debris collection area is defined.
18. The dust mop as in claim 17, wherein said plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions are linear or curvilinear.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/606,234, filed on Sep. 1, 2004 the contents
of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present disclosure relates to wet or dry dust mops. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to a dust mop having
dust-collecting protrusions.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Mops that utilize a disposable cleaning sheet or pad, such
as a woven or non-woven sheet, for cleaning are known in the art
and are often referred to as "dust mops". Many dust mops removably
secure the cleaning sheet to a generally planar mop head. The mop
head is pivotally secured to an extension pole, allowing the user
to move the cleaning sheet over a flat surface using a traditional
mopping action. Such a dust mop is described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,225,998 to Theilen.
[0006] The ability of the dust mop to pick up and retain dirt and
debris (hereinafter "debris") can be an important aspect to
consumer acceptance of the mop. This is particularly true in dust
mops using disposable cleaning sheets, where the cost of use is
directly proportional to the percent of the cleaning sheet utilized
by the mop.
[0007] Unfortunately, prior solutions have not improved the mop
efficiency to desired levels. Thus, there is a continuing need for
more efficient dust mops.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a dust
mop having debris-collecting protrusions.
[0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a
dust mop having a plurality of protrusions, which prevent torque
applied to the leading edge during movement of the mop from causing
the leading edge to push debris in front of the mop.
[0010] A dust mop having a base, debris-collecting protrusions, and
one or more attachment members is provided. The base has a top
surface and a bottom surface. The debris-collecting protrusions are
defined on the bottom surface. Each of the protrusions defines a
planar section facing a cleaning direction. The attachment members
removably secure a cleaning sheet over the bottom surface.
[0011] A dust mop having a base, debris-collecting protrusions
defined on the base, and one or more attachment members one or more
attachment members for removably securing a cleaning sheet over the
base is provided. The base has a minor axis and a major axis. The
debris-collecting protrusions are sufficient to foul up to about
ninety percent of the cleaning sheet along the minor axis during
use of the dust mop.
[0012] The above-described and other features and advantages of the
present disclosure will be appreciated and understood by those
skilled in the art from the following detailed description,
drawings, and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art dust mop;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a cleaning sheet after use with
the dust mop of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
dust mop according to the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the dust
mop of FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a side view of the dust mop of FIG. 3;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a cleaning sheet after use with
the dust mop of FIG. 3; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of an alternate exemplary embodiment
of a dust mop of according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, a
prior dust mop 10 is illustrated. Mop 10 includes a base 12, an
extension pole 14, and a cleaning sheet 16. Base 12 can be a
generally rectangular member having a top surface 18, a planar
bottom surface 20, a major axis 22, and a minor axis 24.
[0021] Extension pole 14 can be moveably secured to top surface 18
by a hinge member 26. Additionally, cleaning sheet 16 can be
removably secured over bottom surface 20. For example, base 12 can
include one or more attachment members 30 for removably securing
cleaning sheet 16.
[0022] Mop 10 finds use in both wet and dry mopping applications.
In many mopping applications, cleaning sheet 16 can be a disposable
sheet such as those commercially available from Proctor and Gamble
under the "Swiffer" trade name. Alternately, cleaning sheet 16 can
be a re-useable sheet.
[0023] In use, bottom surface 20 is pushed over an area in a
cleaning direction 28 in response to forces applied to pole 14.
Generally, cleaning direction 28 is substantially perpendicular to
major axis 22 (e.g., parallel to minor axis 24). In this manner,
mop 10 is useful to collect debris on cleaning sheet 16. Once
cleaning sheet 16 is full of debris, the sheet can be removed from
base 12 via attachment members 30 and replaced with a clean
sheet.
[0024] It should be recognized that bottom surface 20 can also be
pulled over the area in a direction opposite to cleaning direction
28, can be moved side-to-side over the area in a direction
perpendicular the cleaning direction, or any combination thereof.
However, mop 10 is described in use only along cleaning direction
28 for purposes of clarity.
[0025] It has been determined by the present invention that the
planar bottom surface 20 of mop results in under utilization of
cleaning sheet 16 in use. The utilization of cleaning sheet 16 is
described with reference to FIG. 2. When moved in cleaning
direction 28, it has been determined that the leading edge 32 of
sheet 16 becomes fully saturated with or full of debris 34
("fouled"). Once leading edge 32 is fouled with debris 34, mop 10
can no longer be effectively used for cleaning until sheet 16 has
been replaced with a clean sheet. Unfortunately, planar bottom
surface 20 results in only about twenty percent of sheet 16 being
utilized. Specifically, it has been determined that sheet 16 is
utilized along only about twenty percent of minor axis 24.
[0026] While not wishing to be bound by any one particular theory,
it is believed that that pressure applied to pole 14 during
movement of base 12 in cleaning direction 28 causes a torque 36
about the base along axis 38. It is believed that torque 36
increases the downward pressure of leading edge 32 on the cleaning
area. Namely, leading edge 32 has a higher pressure on the cleaning
area as compared to the opposite trailing or following edge of the
base. This increased pressure on leading edge 32 is believed to
impart a plow-like effect to any debris 34 on the surface to be
cleaned, where the leading edge merely pushes the debris in front
of the base instead of allowing the debris to travel under the
base.
[0027] An exemplary embodiment of a dust mop 110 according to the
present disclosure is described with simultaneous reference to
FIGS. 3 through 5 in which component parts performing similar
and/or analogous functions are numbered in multiples of one
hundred.
[0028] Mop 110 includes a base 112, an extension pole 114, and a
cleaning sheet (not shown for purposes of clarity). Base 112 can be
a generally rectangular member having a top surface 118, a bottom
surface 120, a major axis 122, and a minor axis 124.
[0029] Extension pole 114 is moveably secured to top surface 118 by
a hinge member 126. For example, hinge member 126 can be a dual
axis hinge as described in commonly owned U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/896,246, filed on Jul. 21, 2004, the contents of which
are incorporated by reference herein.
[0030] Additionally, base 112 can include one or more attachment
members 130 for removably securing a cleaning sheet over bottom
surface 120. Mop 110 can be used in both wet and dry mopping
applications.
[0031] In use, bottom surface 120 is pushed over an area to be
cleaned in a cleaning direction 128 in response to forces applied
to pole 114. Generally, cleaning direction 128 is substantially
perpendicular to major axis 122 (e.g., parallel to minor axis 124).
In this manner, mop 110 is useful to collect debris on the cleaning
sheet.
[0032] Advantageously, bottom surface 120 includes a plurality of
debris-collecting protrusions 140 each defining a planar section
142. Debris-collecting protrusions 140 are generally disposed
lengthwise along major axis 122. In the illustrated embodiment,
protrusions 140 have a generally wavy or undulating appearance
along major axis 122. Protrusions 140 are defined on bottom surface
in a pattern much like a roofing tile pattern, namely the
protrusions repeat in a staggered pattern in the along minor axis
124.
[0033] In one exemplary embodiment, planar sections 142 face
cleaning direction 128 to assist in collecting debris when moving
base 112 in the cleaning direction. In another exemplary
embodiment, protrusions 140 define one or more planar sections 142
facing cleaning direction 128 and one or more planar sections 142
facing opposite to the cleaning direction. In this manner, base 112
assists in collecting debris when moving base 112 in cleaning
direction 128 as well as when moving opposite to the cleaning
direction.
[0034] Additionally, protrusions 140 provide support to base 112
during movement in cleaning direction 128. For example, protrusions
140 can include a plurality of support regions 144 along the
leading edge 132 of base 112. Support regions 144 can mitigate
increases in downward pressure on leading edge 132 due to forces
applied to pole 114. Thus, support regions 144 can ensure that
pressure is applied evenly across base 112, which prevents the
plow-like effect to debris on the surface to be cleaned as occurs
with prior devices.
[0035] It has been found that protrusions 140 increase the
utilization of the cleaning sheet when in use with mop 110. The
utilization of a cleaning sheet 116 in use with base 112 is
described with reference to FIG. 6. Here, sheet 116 is shown after
use with base 112 having only planar sections 142 facing cleaning
direction 128. Sheet 116 is shown being fouled with debris 134 in
front of the protrusions (i.e., in the cleaning direction 128).
Specifically, sheet 116 becomes fouled in front of each planar
section 142. Advantageously, protrusions 140 result in utilization
of sheet 116 of up to about ninety percent of sheet 116 along minor
axis 24, more preferably up to about eighty percent, with between
about forty percent to about sixty percent being most
preferred.
[0036] While not wishing to be bound by any one particular theory,
it is believed that that pressure applied to pole 114 during
movement of base 112 in cleaning direction 128 causes a torque 136
about the base along an axis (not shown) parallel to major axis
122. It is believed that torque 136 increases the downward pressure
of planar edges 142 on the cleaning area. In prior devices such as
mop 10 described above, torque 36 is localized at leading edge 32,
which is believed to impart a plow-like effect to any debris 34 on
the surface to be cleaned, where the leading edge merely pushes the
debris in front of the base instead of allowing the debris to
travel under the base. Advantageously, it is believed that
protrusions 140 replicate the leading edge of prior mops several
times along bottom 120. It is believed that spreading torque 136
among protrusions 140, instead of being centralized at the leading
edge 32 of prior devices, allows debris to travel under base 120
and, thus, to be captured by planar surfaces 142.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 7, a bottom view of an alternate
exemplary embodiment of a base 212 for a dust mop is shown, where
component parts performing similar and/or analogous functions are
numbered in multiples of one hundred. Base 212 can be a generally
rectangular member having a bottom surface 220, a major axis 222, a
minor axis 224, and at least one debris-collecting protrusion 240
defined on the bottom surface.
[0038] Debris-collecting protrusions 240 are generally disposed
diagonally with respect to major axis 222 so that a generally
v-shaped debris collection area is defined. In the illustrated
embodiment, protrusions 240 have a generally linear appearance. Of
course, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for
protrusions 240 have a curved or curvilinear appearance
[0039] Protrusions 240 preferably define one or more planar
sections 242 facing cleaning direction 228 and one or more planar
sections 242 facing opposite to the cleaning direction. Here,
protrusions 240 define four generally v-shaped debris collection
areas, namely one in the cleaning direction, one opposite the
cleaning direction, and two perpendicular to the cleaning
direction.
[0040] Additionally, protrusions 240 provide support to base 212
during movement in cleaning direction 228. For example, protrusions
240 can include a plurality of support regions 244 along the
leading edge 232 of base 212. Support regions 244 can mitigate
increases in downward pressure on leading edge 232 due to the
torque forces imparted to base 212 during movement in cleaning
direction 228.
[0041] It should also be noted that the terms "first", "second",
"third", "upper", "lower", and the like may be used herein to
modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial,
sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless
specifically stated.
[0042] While the present disclosure has been described with
reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be
made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof
without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In
addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular
situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without
departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that
the present disclosure not be limited to the particular
embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated, but that the
disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of
the appended claims.
* * * * *