Wringer Bucket

Abstract

A molded monolithic bucket fabricated of a synthetic polymeric material and adapted for operative association with a mop wringer apparatus having a frame, pressure applying means for extracting liquid from a mop and operating means for actuating the pressure applying means, the bucket comprising a generally horizontal extending bottom section and a pair of integral laterally spaced wall sections extending generally vertically upwardly from the bottom section, and forward and rearward end wall sections extending generally laterally between the side wall sections, one of the wall sections being of a complementary shape with respect to the frame of the wringer apparatus and adapted for engagement therewith in a manner so as to prevent relative movement between the bucket and the wringer apparatus during use thereof.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTON

The present invention is directed toward a new and improved bucket of the type adapted to be operatively associated with a mop or similar type wringer apparatus. More particularly, the present invention is directed toward a novel bucket design adapted to be mounted on a transportable carriage or chassis and have a conventional mop-type wringer apparatus detachably mounted on one side thereof. The bucket of the present invention is fabricated of a molded polymeric material and is designed so as to cooperate with the aforementioned wringer apparatus in a manner so as to provide extremely stable operation thereof, i.e., permit actuation of the wringer apparatus without causing excessive movement of the apparatus relative to the bucket. Additionally, the bucket design of the present invention is intended to be of an extremely durable consturction, as well as being pleasant in appearance so as to have a long and durable operational life and also be aesthetically pleasing.

It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bucket.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bucket design which is particularly adapted for operative association with mop-type wringer apparatus and the like.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bucket which is of a relatively light weight construction, is pleasant in appearance, and which will have a long and effective operational life.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bucket of the above character that is designed to provide for stable mounting of an associated wringer apparatus.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bucket design which is of a simple design, is economical to manufacture, and which may be operatively mounted on a conventional bucket chassis.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a new and improved bucket of the present invention, as shown in operative association with a conventional mop-type wringer apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken substantially in the direction of the arrow 4 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a bucket 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is shown in operative association with a conventional wringer apparatus 12 and is adapted to be mounted upon a transportable chassis or carriage 14. As will hereinafter be described in detail, the bucket 10 is adapted to contain, for example, cleaning liquids or the like that may be used in connection with conventional cleaning utensils, such as a mop or the like, which may have the liquids extricated therefrom by means of the apparatus 12.

The apparatus 12 may be of any conventional construction, such as that shown in U. S. Pat. No. 2,199,906, issued May 7, 1940, the descriptive portion of which patent is incorporated by reference herein. Generally speaking, the wringer apparatus 12 comprises a frame 16 including a pair of laterally spaced side plates 18 and 20 which define a mop head receiving receptacle 22 therebetween. Disposed within the receptacle 22 is a pressure-applying means 24 that is actuable by a suitable handle 26 for exerting a compressive force against a mop head in order to effect extraction of any fluid therein. As seen in FIG. 4, the side plates 18, 20 are formed with a pair of downwardly extending projections 28 which define recesses 30 adapted to nestingly receive the rim portion of the bucket 10 in a manner such that the receptacle 22 hangs downwardly into the interior of bucket 10, as is well known in the art. Disposed adjacent the lower ends of the side plates 18, 20 is a generally laterally extending bearing element or strap 32 formed with a central outwardly bowed arcuate portion 33 which is adapted to function in a manner hereinafter to be described in lending stability to the wringer apparatus 12 during operation thereof.

Referring now in detail to the consturction of the bucket 10, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bucket 10 comprises a generally horizontally extending bottom section 34 and a pair of generally flat or planar upstanding, laterally spaced side wall sections 36 and 38. Extending between the side wall sections 36, 38 are forward and rearward end wall sections 40 and 42, respectively, which are integrally connected to the marginal edges of the side wall sections 36, 38 by means of upstanding angularly disposed integral corner sections 44. The bucket 10 is of a monolithic or one-piece molded construction and is preferably fabricated of a molded natural or synthetic, high-strength resinous or elastomeric material, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene, molded plastic, fiberglass, hard rubber or other suitable material which lends itself to conventional molding techniques. As best seen in FIG. 3, the upper marginal edge of the sections 36-44 are formed with a continuous outwardly turned, integral, generally inverted U-shaped rim portion 46 which functions in a rigidifying capacity in order to strengthen the bucket 10.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the end wall sections 40 and 42 are formed with centrally disposed, upwardly extending, generally outwardly convex arcuate portions 48 and 50, respectively, which are of a generally complementary configuration with respect to the arcuate shape of the curved portion 33 of the bearing element 32. That is, the portion 33 and portions 48, 50 are defined as lying on a peripheral sector of a common imaginary circle. Additionally, the end wall sections 40, 42 comprise a pair of genrally flat or planar portions 52, 54 and 56, 58, respectively, which are arranged adjacent the opposite sides of the curved portions 48 and 50, respectively. It may be noted that the lateral spacing between portions 52, 54 and 56, 58 is approximately equal to the lateral spacing between the side plates 18, 20 of the wringer apparatus 12.

Mounted adjacent the upper ends of each of the flat portions 52-58 is a generally U-shaped wear plate 60 (see FIG. 3), the plates 60 preferably being fabricated of a suitable relatively hard material, such as a corrosion resistant metal, and being fixedly secured to the bucket 10 by means of suitable screws, bolts, rivets, or the like 62 which extend through the plate 60 and the upper marginal edge of the bucket 10, as best seen in FIG. 3. The bucket 10 may be and preferably is provided with a suitable handle 64 which may be of any suitable configuration, such as U-shaped, and have the opposite ends thereof secured to the side wall sections 36, 38 by suitable securing means representatively designated by the numeral 66.

The bucket chassis 14 may be of any suitable construction, such as that shown in U. S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 112,618, filed Feb. 4, 1971, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and the subject matter of which is incorporated by reference herein. Preferably, the chassis 14 comprises four outwardly projecting arm or leg sections, generally designated 68, the outer ends of which are secured to the bucket 10 by means of fastening plates 70 that engage suitable recessed areas 72 at the lowermost ends of the corner sections 40 of the bucket 10. Suitable means such as caster wheels or the like 74 are provided on the outer ends of the arms 68 so as to provide for convenient rolling transportation of the entire assemblage consisting of the bucket 10, wringer apparatus 12, and chassis 14.

In use, the wringer apparatus 12 is operatively mounted upon either the forward or rearward end wall section 40, 42 of the bucket 10 in a manner such that the recesses 30 nestingly receive the flat portions 52, 54 or 56, 58, resulting in the uppermost portions of the recesses 30 engaging or bearing upon the wear plates 60, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. When the wringer apparatus 12 is operatively mounted upon the bucket 10, the curved portion 33 of the bearing element 32 contiguously engages the inner periphery of the adjacent curved portion 48 or 50, whereby to provide for surface-to-surface contact therebetween. With this arrangement, the wringer apparatus 12 is supported at two laterally spaced points adjacent the upper end thereof, i.e., at each of the associated wear plates 60, and along a laterally extending surface comprising the confronting surfaces of the bearing element 32 and inner surface of the adjacent end wall section 40 or 42. Accordingly, maximum stability is provided so as to positively prevent any relative movement between the wringer apparatus 12 and the bucket 10 during a liquid extracting or wringing operation. It will be appreciated that while the bucket 10 of the present invention is illustrated as having the apparatus 12 mounted upon the rearward end wall section 42 thereof, said apparatus 12 could just as well be mounted on the opposite or forward end wall section 48, or alternatively, two wringer devices could be mounted, one at each end of the bucket 10.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention provides a novel bucket construction which preferably, although not necessarily, will find extremely useful application in connection with conventional mop-type wringer apparatus. A particular feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the bucket 10 may be economically manufactured by means of well known molding or casting techniques, and by virtue of being fabricated of a polymeric or plastic material, will be highly resistant to damage due to scratching, denting, or the like. Additionally, the bucket 10 may be fabricated of a material which is highly resistant to corrosive attack by strong cleaning chemicals commonly used in connection therewith. Yet another feature of the present invention may be seen from the fact that the lateral side wall sections 36, 38 are spaced laterally outwardly from the opposite sides of the wringer apparatus 12 so as to prevent any possible interference between the actuating mechanism of the apparatus 12 and the bucket 10.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment illustrated herein is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A molded monolithic bucket fabricated of a synthetic polymeric material and adapted for operative association with a mop wringer apparatus having a frame defining spaced apart hook-like attachment elements and a transversely extending, outwardly curved intermediate portion adjacent the lower end thereof, pressure applying means for extracting liquid from a mop and operating means for actuating the pressure applying means,

said bucket comprising a generally horizontally extending bottom section and a pair of integral laterally spaced side wall sections extending generally vertically upwardly from said bottom section, and forward and rearward end wall sections extending generally laterally between said side wall sections,

one of said wall sections comprising a pair of generally coplanar marginal side portions spaced apart substantially the same distance as said attachment elements and defining upper edge portions adapted for operative engagement therewith, said one wall section further defining a generally arcuate shaped, outwardly convex intermediate portion arranged between said marginal side portions and being of a complementary shape with respect to said intermediate portion of said frame and adapted for engagement therewith in a manner so as to prevent relative movement between said bucket and said wringer apparatus during use thereof, means interposed between said attachment elements.

2. A bucket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said one wall section comprises one of said end wall sections and wherein said lateral side wall sections are of a generally planar configuration.

3. A bucket as set forth in claim 2 wherein said end wall sections are of substantially identical shape and have said intermediate and marginal side portions extending the entire height thereof, and wherein the corners of said bucket where said side and lateral wall sections intersect are chamfered to prevent interference with said wringer during operation thereof.

4. A bucket as set forth in claim 1 adapted for operative association with a wringer apparatus having a vertically reciprocable mechanism, and wherein said lateral side wall sections are spaced sufficiently far apart to prevent interference with said operating mechanism when said apparatus is mounted on said bucket.