U.S. patent application number 11/793273 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-03 for mop with a flat holder.
This patent application is currently assigned to BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH. Invention is credited to Joachim Damrath, Markus Spielmannleitner, Gerhard Wetzl.
Application Number | 20080155775 11/793273 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35840317 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080155775 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Damrath; Joachim ; et
al. |
July 3, 2008 |
Mop with a Flat Holder
Abstract
The mop has a flat holder and a mop covering attached to the
underside of the holder and projecting from an edge of the holder
with an edge protection border. The mop can be wrung in a
corresponding device. The wringing device has a first pressing
element and a second pressing element, which traverse the holder
with the mop covering and which squeeze the mop cover in order to
wring it. One of the pressing elements continuously extends over
the entire width of the mop covering perpendicular to the direction
of movement of the holder. The other pressing element has two parts
with a gap in between for allowing the passage of a handle joined
to the holder. In the vicinity of the gap formed by the pressing
element, the edge protection border is formed so that it does not
absorb and dirt and/or moisture.
Inventors: |
Damrath; Joachim;
(Bachhagel, DE) ; Spielmannleitner; Markus;
(Ellwangen, DE) ; Wetzl; Gerhard; (Sontheim,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LERNER GREENBERG STEMER LLP
P O BOX 2480
HOLLYWOOD
FL
33022-2480
US
|
Assignee: |
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate
GmbH
|
Family ID: |
35840317 |
Appl. No.: |
11/793273 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
November 22, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2005/056130 |
371 Date: |
June 15, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/228 ;
15/261 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/60 20130101;
A47L 13/20 20130101; A47L 13/257 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/228 ;
15/261 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/20 20060101
A47L013/20; A47L 13/58 20060101 A47L013/58 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 22, 2004 |
DE |
10 2004 061 893.3 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled)
7. A mop assembly, comprising: a flat holder, a handle connected to
said holder, and a mop covering fastened to an underside of said
holder and projecting from an edge of said holder with an edge
protection border, said covering being configured for wringing in a
corresponding wringing device; the wringing device including a
first pressing element and a second pressing element for traversing
said holder with said mop covering and for squeezing and wringing
said mop cover; said first pressing element extending continuously
over an entire width of said mop covering perpendicular to a
direction of movement of said holder through said wringing device,
and said second pressing element having two parts and a gap formed
in between, transversely to the direction of movement, for enabling
said handle to pass therethrough; and wherein said edge protection
border is configured, in a region of said gap between said parts of
said second pressing element, incapable of absorbing dirt and/or
moisture.
8. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge
protection border has a recess formed by a groove in the region of
said gap.
9. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge
protection border is provided with a dirt and moisture repelling
coating in the region of said gap.
10. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge
protection border is formed, in the region of said gap, by a
sufficiently soft material having dirt and moisture-repelling
material characteristics.
11. The mop assembly according to claim 7, wherein said edge
protection border is formed, in the region of said gap, by a
sufficiently soft material carrying thereon a dirt and
moisture-repelling substance.
12. The mop assembly according to claim 9, which comprises
stabilizing means provided for stiffening said edge protection
border.
13. The mop assembly according to claim 12, wherein said mop
covering and said holder are connected by way of a hook-and-loop
connection, and said stabilizing means comprises fleece of said
hook-and-loop connection on said mop covering projecting into said
edge protection border.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a mop with a flat holder and a mop
covering fastened to the underside of the holder and projecting
from the edge of the holder with an edge protection border, which
covering is designed so that it can be wrung in a device provided
for this purpose, which device has for this purpose a wringing
device with a first pressing element and a second pressing element
through which runs the holder with the mop covering, and which
squeeze the mop covering to wring it, one of the pressing elements
extending continuously over the entire width of the mop covering
perpendicular to the direction of movement of the holder, whereas
the other pressing element comprises two parts between which there
exists a gap allowing a handle connected to the holder to pass
through transverse to the direction of movement.
[0002] WO 03/13586 discloses a mop and an associated device for
cleaning and wringing, the mop being provided on its two
longitudinal sides with a projecting mop covering. This projection
of the mop covering serves to prevent direct contact between the
holder, which normally consists of hard material, for example also
of aluminium, with furniture and other fitments, to avoid damage to
them. For this purpose WO 03/13587 also discloses an edge
protection in the form of a rubber border fitted on the narrow
side.
[0003] Finally, DE 10256091 describes an autonomous wet cleaning
device which is provided only on the wide side with a projecting
mop covering whereas a soft surface is provided as an edge
protection on the narrow side.
[0004] With the aim of providing as comprehensive an edge
protection as possible it would also be desirable to allow the mop
covering to project from the narrow side. However, because of the
gap provided for passing through the handle in one of the two
pressing elements, no wringing would then take place in the region
of this gap.
[0005] The object of the invention is to provide the mop of the
type already mentioned, in a particularly simple manner, both on
the wide side and narrow side with a projection of the mop covering
acting as an edge protection, it being ensured that no residual
dirt or undesirably high residual moisture is present after
cleaning and wringing of the mop, particularly in the region of the
gap.
[0006] This object is achieved according to the invention in that
the edge protection is formed in the region of the gap formed by
one of pressing elements so that it cannot absorb dirt and/or
moisture.
[0007] The advantage achieved by the invention consists essentially
in the fact that mopping can be carried out by the projecting mop
covering on the narrow side on the one hand, and also with the
narrow side along furniture edges and other objects of
installation, close to the edge without coming into contact with
the holder. In particular, this provides a structure that is more
simply designed since no separate rubber edge or similar is
required. The mop covering can be cleaned and wrung in the cleaning
and wringing stations of prior art without modification.
[0008] According to a first advantageous design of the invention
the edge protection edge has a recess formed by a recess formed
from a groove in the region of the gap. This recess impairs neither
the cleaning performance of the mop covering nor the efficiency of
the edge protection aimed for to any noticeable degree since gap is
small compared with the narrow side of the holder.
[0009] According to a further embodiment of the invention the edge
protection border is provided with a dirt and moisture repelling
coating in the region of the gap. This variant is therefore
provided with complete edge protection, whilst only the cleaning
performance is minimally reduced due to the dirt and moisture
repelling coating.
[0010] As a further possibility it is also proposed, within the
scope of the invention, that the edge protection border be formed
in the region of the gap by a material that is sufficiently soft
and is either dirt or moisture repelling itself or is provided with
a dirt or moisture repelling substance. This design also provides
complete all-round edge protection.
[0011] In order to ensure, when cleaning and wringing the mop in a
suitable wet cleaning device, that the projection on the edge side
runs safely and smoothly into the wringing device, it is
recommended that a stabilising means is provided for stiffening the
edge protection border. This stabilising means may in principle
consist of any material suitable for this purpose. In a particular
simple design and hence one that is preferred within the scope of
the invention, provision is made for the fleece provided for a
Velcro strip between the mop covering and the holder on the mop
covering, as stabilising means, to project into the edge protection
border. Due to the use of the fleece required in any case for the
fastening, the use of additional materials can therefore be
dispensed with.
[0012] The invention is explained in more detail in the following
by way of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing, in which
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of a device for
wringing a mop together with a mop for use with the device, as an
exemplary embodiment,
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the device
according to FIG. 1 from the front, together with the mop,
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the device according to FIG. 1,
when the device is operated for wetting and wringing the mop,
[0016] FIG. 4 shows a mop consisting of a holder and mop covering,
with edge protection, according to the state of the art, in partial
figure a in elevation, in partial figure b in longitudinal section,
and in partial figure c between the rolls of the wringing
device,
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a mop according to the invention in a
representation corresponding to FIG. 4, and
[0018] FIG. 6 shows an alternative design of the mop in the
representation according to FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically, as an exemplary embodiment, a
device 104 for wetting a mop 101, which device is operated
manually. Mop 101 is provided with a holder 102 fastened to a
handle 118 for holding a mop covering 103. Mop covering 103 is
flexible and absorbent so that it can be wetted to clean floors
with a cleaning fluid, in particular.
[0020] For the purpose of setting, mop 101 is guided in the
direction of the arrow by device 104, by means of a guide 113 which
has the individual guiding elements in the form of horizontally
arranged plates. Here guide 113 guides holder 102 horizontally
along a horizontal path of movement beyond a nozzle 112. Nozzle 112
is connected by a fluid line 11 to a pump 108 which is arranged
underneath the floor of a container 105, which forms the base of
device 104. A cleaning fluid 106, which can be sucked in from pump
108 via an inlet filter 107 and pumped through pipe 11 to nozzle
112, is present in container 105. Fluid 106 can be sprayed through
nozzle 112 from below against mop covering 103 of mop 101.
[0021] A sensor 114 is provided in guide 113, for example in the
form of a switch which detects the presence of holder 102 in guide
113. As soon as holder 102 is inserted in guide 113, and this has
been detected by sensor 114, a control system, not shown, actuates
pump 108 so that fluid 106 is sprayed upwards through nozzle 112.
At the same time a motor driven drive roll 110, arranged underneath
the path of movement, is also actuated. Two counter-rolls 109,
which are arranged coaxially in respect of one another and are
rotatable about an axis of rotation running parallel to the axis of
rotation of drive roll 110, are arranged on the side of the path of
movement opposite drive roll 110. Holder 102 can be pulled between
drive roll 110 and counter-rolls 109 together with mop covering
103.
[0022] The distance between drive roll 110 and counter-rolls 109 is
dimensioned so that holder 102, with mop covering 103, is in
frictional contact with rolls 109, 110, so that it can be detected
and driven.
[0023] Drive roll 110 extends throughout the width of mop covering
103 perpendicular to the direction of drive, so that it bears
against mop covering 103 at the bottom throughout the width. Both
counter-rolls 109 are each arranged so that they are arranged over
the edges of holder 102 and mop covering 103 in the width extension
of holder 102 and leave an interval between them. The interval
between rolls 109 serves to guide through handle 118 of the
mop.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows the upper part of device 104 together with the
lower part of mop 101, viewed from the front. In this
representation it can be seen that counter-rolls 109 each consist
of two cylindrical sections 119, 120 arranged concentrically
relative to each other, which sections have different diameters.
The smaller cylindrical sections 119 are arranged on the inside and
the larger cylindrical sections 120 are arranged on the outside.
Consequently the gap between drive roll 110 and larger cylindrical
sections 120 on the outside is smaller than that between drive roll
110 and the smaller cylindrical sections 119. Drive roll 110 is
also connected to a motor 116 for driving in the direction of
rotation.
[0025] In FIG. 2 it can also be seen that mop covering 103 is wider
in the direction of movement than holder 102, and projects from the
sides of holder 102. The edges of mop covering 103 projecting from
both sides form a cushion here for holder 102, which also serves as
protection from damage to other objects by holder 102, e.g.
furniture. Since holder 102 must be able to transmit force for
squeezing out mop covering 103, holder 102 is preferably produced
from a stiff material such as a metal, so that holder 102 could
quite possibly damage other objects on contact. For this reason a
projecting mop covering 103 is particularly advantageous as
protection.
[0026] So that the projecting parts of mop covering 103 can also be
squeezed out, the smaller cylindrical sections 119 on the inside
are dimensioned so that they are able to squeeze out holder 102
together with the underlying part of mop covering 103 on drive roll
110, and the larger cylindrical sections 120 are dimensioned so
that they are able to squeeze out the edges of mop covering 103 on
drive roll 110 projecting laterally over holder 102. For this
purpose the height of the larger cylindrical sections 120 in the
axial direction is at least equal to the width of the projecting
edge of mop covering 103 and the diameter of the larger cylindrical
sections 120, together with the distance between the axes, for
counter-rolls 109 and drive roll 110, is chosen so that the
projecting edge of mop covering 103 can be compressed in
between.
[0027] In the case of the smaller cylindrical sections 119 arranged
inside, it is only necessary for them to bear against holder 102
and press it against drive roll 110 in order to be able to squeeze
out the part of mop covering 103 covered by holder 102. An
interruption or a gap is provided between the two smaller
cylindrical sections 119 for guiding through handle 118. The
narrower the gap the more difficult it is to guide through handle
118. Conversely, the surface with which the smaller cylindrical
sections 119 press against holder 102 increased as the gap becomes
narrower, and the bending moments acting on holder 102 are
therefore reduced.
[0028] The two adjacent cylindrical sections 119, 120 are mounted
coaxially to each other on a common shaft, both cylindrical
sections 119, 120 being able to rotate independently of each
other.
[0029] Mop covering 103 is again partly wetted by the pressure of
drive roll 110 acting throughout the width, and fluid is pressed
out of mop covering 103. The squeezed out fluid 106 runs onto an
intermediate bottom 117 and from there returns through a dirt
filter 115 into container 105. When mop 101 is guided through by
guide 113, as shown in FIG. 3, mop covering 103 is sprayed from
below with cleaning fluid 106 so that mop covering 103 can be
wetted and the dirt in it flushed out, then again partially wrung
so that it escapes on the right side of device 104 with a defined
moisture content. This prevents mop covering 103 from dripping
during cleaning. Here the control system also detects when holder
102 releases sensor 114 again and when the rear end of holder 102
has passed through sensor 114 and then actuates pump 108 and drive
roll 110 for a further period until holder 102 has been pulled
completely through rolls 109, 110. Here the actuation of pump 108
can also be terminated before rolls 109, 110 are actuated.
[0030] As explained above, the projection of mop covering 103 on
the longitudinal side and width side of holder 102 is also wrung by
the device described. The projection formed on the narrow side of
mop 101, on the other hand, is not wrung in the region of the gap
that enables handle 118 to be pulled through, since no pressure is
exerted on the projection, in contrast to the region in which the
intrinsically stiff holder 102 is present. FIG. 4 therefore shows a
solution according to the state of the art in which only a soft
edge 126 of rubber or plastic is provided on the narrow side of mop
101.
[0031] To ensure that a projection can also be provided on the
narrow side of mop 101, but at the same time preventing a residual
moisture content that is undesirably higher than in the remaining
mop covering 103 from remaining in the region of the gap which is
normally indicated once again by lines on the left next to FIG. 5c,
edge protection border 124 is designed, in the region of the gap
formed by one of pressing elements 109, so that it cannot absorb
any dirt and/or moisture.
[0032] This can be achieved initially by a design which provides a
recess 125 formed by a groove and indicated in FIG. 6a on the right
edge of mop 101, which recess is located in the region of the gap.
Since this gap is small compared to the narrow side of holder 102,
the recess impairs neither the cleaning performance of mop covering
103 nor the efficiency of the efficiency protection aimed for to
any noticeable degree.
[0033] However, edge protection border 124 may also be provided
with a dirt and moisture repelling coating 126 in the region of the
gap, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6c and 6d, which means that wringing in
this region may also be dispensed with.
[0034] Edge protection border 124 may also be formed by a
sufficiently soft material 127 which is either dirt and moisture
repelling itself or is provided with a dirt and moisture repelling
substance in the region of the gap, as shown in FIG. 6. This is
diagrammatically represented in FIGS. 6c and 6d.
[0035] In order, in particular, to allow the projection of mop
covering 103 to run smoothly through pressing elements 109, 110,
stiffening of edge protection border 124 by a stabilising means is
recommended, which means may in principle be produced from any
suitable material in a strip form, for example, in the region of
the projection. In particular, the fleece material 128, arranged in
any case on mop covering 103 and present in the Velcro strip
between holder 102 and mop covering 103, may be considered for this
purpose. This fleece may project into edge protection border 124
for stabilisation, as shown in FIG. 6d. Instead, however, an
additional reinforcement 129 may be provided in the actual edge
region, as shown in FIG. 6c.
* * * * *