Combination Dust Cloth And Dust Mop

Saltzstein February 19, 1

Patent Grant 3792505

U.S. patent number 3,792,505 [Application Number 05/264,815] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-19 for combination dust cloth and dust mop. This patent grant is currently assigned to American Uniform Company. Invention is credited to Julian I. Saltzstein.


United States Patent 3,792,505
Saltzstein February 19, 1974

COMBINATION DUST CLOTH AND DUST MOP

Abstract

A combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head having a platform with a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and a back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member mounted in the clasping device and being removable therefrom and a second fastening member mounted on the back surface of the cloth for detachably mounting the cloth on the platform, the cloth covering the platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of the platform to provide a marginal portion therearound.


Inventors: Saltzstein; Julian I. (Cleveland, OH)
Assignee: American Uniform Company (Cleveland, TN)
Family ID: 23007720
Appl. No.: 05/264,815
Filed: June 21, 1972

Current U.S. Class: 15/231; 15/147.2; 24/306; 15/176.5
Current CPC Class: A47L 13/256 (20130101); Y10T 24/2708 (20150115)
Current International Class: A47L 13/256 (20060101); A47L 13/20 (20060101); A47l 013/256 (); A47l 013/46 ()
Field of Search: ;15/147A,229R,229A,229B,228,230,230.12,230.17,231 ;24/204,DIG.18 ;51/358,400,404,406

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents
3395416 August 1968 Hughes
3346904 October 1967 Armstromg
3522681 August 1970 Lampert
3299462 January 1967 Mathison
3528120 September 1970 Lindstrom
3455589 July 1969 Valiulis
3295155 January 1967 Belsky et al.
Primary Examiner: Blum; Daniel
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Prangley, Dithmar, Vogel, Sandler & Stottand

Claims



What is claimed is:

1. A combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head including a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a resilient clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and a back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements and a second fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements for detachably securing said first and said second fastening members together, one of said fastening members being mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof, the other of said fastening members being mounted on the back surface of said cloth for detachably mounting said cloth on said platform, said cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby said cloth before attachment to said mop head may be first used as a dust cloth and thereafter said cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing said cloth on a support surface with said back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against said fastening member on said cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter said cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding said marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said mop head is rectangular in shape.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said mop head is a synthetic organic resin.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said mop head is a polypropylene synthetic organic resin.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said cloth is generally oval in shape and has a nap on the dusting surface thereof.

6. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said fastening member mounted in said clasping device has a greater surface extent than said fastening member mounted on said back surface of said cloth.

7. A combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head including a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements and a second fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements for detachably securing said first and said second fastening members together, one of said fastening members being mounted in said clamping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof, the other of said fastening members being mounted on the back surface of said cloth for detachably mounting said cloth on said platform, said clamping device including a plurality of opposed resilient fingers to accommodate snap movement of one of said fastening members between a position wherein said fastening member is mounted in said clasping device and a position wherein said fastening member is spaced from said clasping device, said cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby said cloth before attachment to said mop head may be first used as a dust cloth and thereafter said cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing said cloth on a support surface with said back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against said fastening member on said cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter said cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding said marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom.

8. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said first fastening member consists of two spaced apart elongated strips and said second fastening member consisting of two spaced apart elongated strips.

9. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said fastening member mounted in said clasping device is provided with a substantially rigid backing to facilitate the snap movement into and out of said clasping device.

10. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said clasping device consists of four sets of opposed flexible fingers extending transversely of said platform, each of said four sets of opposed flexible fingers being adapted to receive therein a strip including a rigid backing member having a larger number of closely spaced interengageable hooking elements extending therefrom.

11. A combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head including a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and a back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements and a second fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements for detachably securing said first and said second fastening member together, one of said fastening members being mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof, the other of said fastening members being mounted on the back surface of said cloth for detachably mounting said cloth on said platform, a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of said platform and being connected to said handle, said cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby said cloth before attachment to said mop head may be first used as a dust cloth and thereafter said cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing said cloth on a support surface with said back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against said fastening member on said cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter said cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding said marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom, force applied to said mop handle being transmitted through said force transmitting member to provide an evenly distributed force over said bottom surface and said cloth thereunder.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 11, wherein said force transmitting member is a synthetic organic resin.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 11, wherein said force transmitting member is a polypropylene synthetic organic resin.

14. The combination set forth in claim 11, wherein said force transmitting member is movable between a position wherein said force transmitting member is mounted on the other side of said platform and is connected to said handle and a position wherein said force transmitting member is spaced from said platform.

15. A combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head including a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and a back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements and a second fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements for detachably securing said first and said second fastening member together, one of said fastening members being mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof, the other of said fastening members being mounted on the back surface of said cloth for detachably mounting said cloth on said platform, a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of said platform and being connected to said handle, the thickness of each of the engaged fastening members being substantially equal to the distance between said clasping device and said bottom surface of said force transmitting member to provide a substantially flat dusting surface after the attachment of said cloth to said mop head, said cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby said cloth before attachment to said mop head may be first used as a dust cloth and thereafter said cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing said cloth on a support surface with said back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against said fastening member on said cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter said cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding said maginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom, force applied to said mop handle being transmitted through said force transmitting member to provide an evenly distributed force over said bottom surface and said cloth thereunder.

16. The combination as set forth in claim 15, wherein said one fastening member includes spaced apart rectangularly shaped rigid strips having said hooking elements depending therefrom and said other fastening member includes spaced apart and rectangularly shaped strips mounted on said cloth.

17. A mop head for use with an associated dust cloth as a dust mop, wherein the dust cloth is soft and pliable and has a dusting surface and a back surface with a fastening member thereon provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements, said mop head comprising a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a resilient clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, and a fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof and for detachably mounting the dust cloth on said platform, the dust cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby the dust cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing the dust cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against the fastening member on the dust cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the dust cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom.

18. The mop head set forth in claim 17, wherein said mop head is rectangular in shape.

19. The mop head set forth in claim 17, wherein said mop head is a polypropylene synthetic organic resin.

20. The mop head set forth in claim 17, wherein said fastening member mounted in said clasping device has a greater surface extent than said fastening member mounted on said back surface of said cloth.

21. A mop head for use with an associated dust cloth as a dust mop, wherein the dust cloth is soft and pliable and has a dusting surface and a back surface with a fastening member thereon provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements, said mop head comprising a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, and a fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof and for detachably mounting the dust cloth on said platform, said clasping device including a plurality of opposed resilient fingers to accommodate snap movement of one of said fastening members between a position wherein said fastening member is mounted in said clasping device and a position wherein said fastening member is spaced from said clasping device, the dust cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby the dust cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing the dust cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against the fastening member on the dust cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the dust cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom.

22. The mop head set forth in claim 17, wherein said clasping device consists of four sets of opposed flexible fingers extending transversely of said platform, each of said four sets of opposed flexible fingers being adapted to receive therein a strip including a rigid backing member having a large number of closely spaced interengageable hooking elements extending therefrom.

23. The mop head set forth in claim 17, wherein said fastening member mounted in said clasping device is provided with a substantially rigid backing to facilitate the snap movement into and out of said clasping device.

24. A mop head for use with an associated dust cloth as a dust mop, wherein the dust cloth is soft and pliable and has a dusting surface and a back surface with a fastening member thereon provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements, said mop head comprising a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof and for detachably mounting the dust cloth on said platform, and a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of said platform and being connected to said handle, the dust cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby the dust cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing the dust cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against the fastening member on the dust cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the dust cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom, force applied to said mop handle being transmitted through said force transmitting member to provide an evenly distributed force over said bottom surface and the dust cloth thereunder.

25. The mop head set forth in claim 24, wherein said force transmitting member is a synthetic organic resin.

26. The mop head set forth in claim 24, wherein said force transmitting member is a polypropylene synthetic organic resin.

27. The mop head set forth in claim 24, wherein said force transmitting member is movable between a position wherein said force transmitting member is mounted on the other side of said platform and is connected to said handle and a position wherein said force transmitting member is spaced from said platform.

28. A mop head for use with an associated dust cloth as a dust mop, wherein the dust cloth is soft and pliable and has a dusting surface and a back surface with a fastening member thereon provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements, said mop head comprising a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements mounted in said clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof and for detachably mounting the dust cloth on said platform, and a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of said platform and being connected to said handle, the thickness of each of the engaged fastening members being substantially equal to the distance between said clasping device and said bottom surface of said force transmitting member to provide a substantially flat dusting surface after the attachment of the cloth to said mop head, the dust cloth covering said platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of said platform to provide a marginal portion around said platform, whereby the dust cloth may be mounted on said mop head by placing the dust cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing said fastening member in said clasping device against the fastening member on the dust cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the dust cloth may be removed from said mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling said mop head therefrom, force applied to said mop handle being transmitted through said force transmitting member to provide an evenly distributed force over said bottom surface and the dust cloth thereunder.
Description



This invention relates to a combination dust cloth and dust mop, and more particularly to a dust mop provided with a clasping device in which may be mounted a fastening member, the dust mop being also provided with a force transmitting member for transmitting force applied to the handle to the dust cloth.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a combination dust cloth and dust mop comprising a mop head including a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, a soft pliable cloth having a dusting surface and a back surface, a separable fastening device including a first fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements and a second fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements for detachably securing the first and the second fastening members together, one of the fastening members being mounted in the clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof, the other of the fastening members being mounted on the back surface of the cloth for detachably mounting the cloth on the platform, the cloth covering the platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of the platform to provide a marginal portion around the platform, whereby the cloth before attachment to the mop head may be first used as a dust cloth and thereafter the cloth may be mounted on the mop head by placing the cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing the fastening member in the clasping device against the fastening member on the cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the cloth may be removed from the mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling the mop head therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination dust cloth and dust mop of the type set forth wherein there is provided a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of the platform and being connected to the handle, force applied to the mop handle being transmitted through the force transmitting member to provide an evenly distributed force over the flat bottom surface and the cloth thereunder.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a combination dust cloth and dust mop of the type set forth wherein the thickness of each of the engaged fastening members is substantially equal to the distance between the clasping device and the bottom surface of the force transmitting member to provide a substantially flat dusting surface after the attachment of the cloth to the mop head.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mop head for use with an associated dust cloth as a dust mop, wherein the dust cloth is soft and pliable and has a dusting surface and a back surface with a fastening member thereon provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements, the mop head comprising a platform having a mop handle mounted on one side thereof and a clasping device disposed on the other side thereof, and a fastening member provided with a large number of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements mounted in the clasping device and being removable therefrom for easy replacement thereof and for detachably mounting the dust cloth on the platform, the dust cloth covering the platform and extending a short distance therebeyond around the periphery of the platform to provide a marginal portion around the platform, whereby the dust cloth may be mounted on the mop head by placing the dust cloth on a support surface with the back surface disposed upwardly and pressing the fastening member in the clasping device against the fastening member on the dust cloth to provide a dust mop and thereafter the dust cloth may be removed from the mop head by fixedly holding the marginal portion and pulling the mop head therefrom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mop head of the type set forth wherein there is provided a force transmitting member having a substantially flat bottom surface mounted on the other side of the platform and being connected to the handle.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a mop head of the type set forth wherein the thickness of each of the engaged fastening members is substantially equal to the distance between the clasping device and the bottom surface of the force transmitting member to provide a substantially flat dusting surface after the attachment of the cloth to the mop head.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination dust cloth and dust mop of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mop head, the force transmitting member, the fastening devices and the dust cloth which form the combination dust mop and dust cloth of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the mop head of the present invention showing the force transmitting member and the fastening members in place in one portion thereof and showing the mop head without the force transmitting member and without the fastening members in another portion thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side view in section of the mop head shown in FIG. 3 taken along the lines 4--4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the central portion of the mop head shown in FIG. 4, wherein the force transmitting member is spaced from the mop head; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the mop head shown in FIG. 4 and circled by the line 6--6, particularly showing the fastening members spaced from the mop head and the dust cloth in phantom.

Referring now to the drawings, there is disclosed a combination dust cloth and dust mop 50 including a mop head 55 having a platform 60 which includes two opposed slanted walls 61 and 62 which slant toward the ends of the platform 60 and two opposed sloping walls 63 and 64 which respectively slant toward the front and rear of the platform 60. In the center of the platform 60, and particularly where the walls 61, 62, 63 and 64 meet, there are provided two spaced apart and parallel upstanding trunnions 66, each provided with an aperture 67 therein, the apertures 67 being in registry. There are also provided two slots 69, each slot being positioned adjacent to respective one of the trunnions 66 and extending through the platform 60, the longer dimension of each slot extending transversely of the platform 60. There is also provided a reinforcement member 75 centrally located of the trunnions 66. The reinforcement member 75 has an abutment surface 76 on one side thereof and side walls 77 on the other side thereof, which extend into chamfered walls 78 which in turn blend into the walls 63 and 64. The entire platform 60 and the reinforcement 75 may be molded as a single piece.

The platform 60 is further provided with a peripheral wall 80 which extends completely around the perimeter of the platform 60 and extends downwardly as shown in the drawings. The peripheral wall 80 is provided with recesses 81 at the end thereof, the recesses 81 being spaced apart and at the ends of the platform 60 and extending transversely thereof along the entire width. The peripheral wall 80 is further provided with spaced apart openings 82 in the ends thereof, each end wall having two openings therein.

The platform 60 of the mop head 55 is further provided with spaced apart clasping members, each of the clasping members being identical in construction wherein only one will be described herein. Referring now to FIGS. 3-6 of the drawings, there is shown a resilient finger 85 integrally formed from the end wall 80 and being provided with a gripping surface 86 in the form of a notch. The resilient finger 85 may be formed at the left-end as shown in FIG. 6 and with the gripping surface 86 facing inwardly, for a purpose hereinafter to be explained. The finger 85 is formed of three discrete portions as shown in FIG. 3, the portions being denoted 85a, 85b and 85c. Each of the portions or segments is identical in construction. Spaced apart from the resilient finger 85 is a support 90, the support 90 extending vertically downwardly down from the sloping walls 61, 63 and 64. The support 90 carries at the distal end thereof a resilient finger 91 having a gripping surface or notch 92 therein, the notch 92 being in registry with and facing the notch 86 of the finger 85. The support 90 is also provided with a resilient finger 93 which has a gripping surface or notch 94 facing away from the notch 94 and in the same direction as the notch 86.

There is further provided a support 100 extending vertically downwardly from the sloping walls 61, 63 and 64. The support 100 is provided with an abutment surface 101 on one side and end thereof and is provided with a resilient finger 103 on the other side thereof, the resilient finger having a gripping surface or notch 104, the notch 104 is in registry with and faces the notch 94 of the resilient finger 93. Similarly, a clasping device is provided on the other side of the platform 60 wherein the supports 90 and 100 extend from the sloping walls 62, 63 and 64, thereby to provide the same configuration as hereinbefore described except that it is the mirror image thereof. It is to be understood that each of the resilient fingers 90 and 100 are comprised of three identical portions 90a, 90b and 90c and 100a, 100b and 100c corresponding to the portions 85a, 85b and 85c hereinbefore described. By reference to the drawings, it is seen, therefore, that resilient fingers 85a, 91a, 93a and 103a are in registry as are the corresponding portions 85b, 91b, 93b and 103b and the corresponding portions 85c, 91c, 93c and 103c. The same configuration is provided on the right-hand side of the platform 60 as viewed in FIG. 3, thereby to provide two spaced apart clasping members near the ends of the platform 60 and extending transversely thereof across substantially the entire width of the platform.

The platform 60 is further provided with two transversely extending struts 107 and 108, as seen in the right-hand portion of FIG. 3, the struts 107 and 108 extending transversely of the platform 60 along the entire width thereof and interconnecting the opposed peripheral side walls 80 of the platform. The strut 107 is in alignment with two bosses 110, one positioned on the front edge and one on the rear edge of the platform 60 and extending from the bottom of the right-hand most recess 81, as seen in FIG. 3, whereas the strut 108 is in alignment with two bosses 111, one positioned on the front edge and one on the rear edge of the platform and extending downwardly from the bottom of the left-hand most recess 81, as seen in the figure. The same construction is provided for the left-hand portion of the platform, see FIG. 4.

The mop head 55 further includes a force transmitting member 120, the force transmitting member 120 being movable into and out of engagement with the platform 60. The force transmitting member 120 includes a substantially flat platform 121 having a top surface 122, a bottom surface 123 and a peripheral end surface 125 interconnecting the top and bottom surfaces. An upstanding side wall 127 extends around the platform 121 in the shape of a rectangle and is spaced from the peripheral surface 125 to form a border 124 between the side wall 127 and the peripheral surface 125. The side wall 127 is provided with an outer peripheral abutment surface 128. The force transmitting member 120 is provided with two spaced apart upstanding ears 130, each of the ears 130 having an aperture 131 therein, the apertures being in registry. The force transmitting member 120 includes four diagonally positioned struts 123 extending from the respective corners formed by the side wall 127 inwardly toward the upstanding ears 130. A pair of parallel and spaced apart reinforcement members 134 are provided between the upstanding ears 130. The struts 133 and 134 serve to distribute force more evenly over the entire surface area of the platform 121, as will be explained.

The force transmitting member 120 is shaped to fit within the platform 60 so that the upstanding ears 130 pass through the spaced apart slots 69 and abut the inner surfaces of the spaced apart trunnions 66 so that the apertures 131 are in registry with the apertures 67. Further, the abutment surfaces 128 of the side walls 127 abut the abutment surface 101 of the supports 100 which also abut the ledge 124 formed between the side wall 127 and the peripheral surface 124 of the force transmitting member to provide for frictional holding forces to maintain the force transmitting member 120 in engagement with the platform 60. Generally, the abutment surface 76 of the reinforcement member 75 is spaced from the reinforcement member 134 due to the maintenance of the apertures 67 and 131 in registry. The force transmitting member 120 will snap from a position of engagement with the platform 60, as seen in FIG. 4, to the position shown in FIG. 5, wherein the force transmitting member is spaced away from the platform 60.

There is further provided a dust cloth 140, the dust cloth 140 being generally oval in shape and having a back surface 141 and a dusting surface 142. The dust cloth 140 is soft and pliable and is provided with a substantial nap on the dusting surface 142 thereof. The back surface 141 does not necessarily have the nap provided on the dusting surface 142.

The dust cloth 140 is larger in surface area than the platform 60 so that a marginal portion of the dust cloth 140 is provided after the dust cloth has been mounted to the mop head 55. The marginal portion of the dust cloth 140 extends outwardly of the platform 60 to facilitate the removal of the dust cloth from the platform, as will hereinafter be explained.

There is also provided a separable fastening device 150 including a first fastening member 155 having a substantially rigid rectangular backing sheet 156 having a peripheral abutment surface 157, the rigid backing sheet 156 carrying a plurality of closely spaced interengageable first hooking elements 158 extending therefrom. As seen, two first fastening members 155 are provided for each side of the platform 60 for a total of four fastening members 155, each of the fastening members 155 snapping into position within the clasping members as shown in FIG. 4 and being removable from the platform 60 as shown in FIG. 6.

The separable fastening device 150 further includes a second fastening member 165 which includes an elongated backing sheet 166 having a plurality of closely spaced interengageable second hooking elements 168 extending upwardly therefrom, the second fastening member 165 being fixedly mounted on the back surface 141 of the dust cloth 140 by the stitches 169. It is apparent that there are two second backing members 165, the backing members 165 being spaced apart and parallel and having their longitudinal dimension extending transversely of the dust cloth 140. The distance between the second fastening members 165 generally corresponds to the distance between the fastening members 155 when they are snapped in place in the clasping device consisting of the resilient fingers 85, 91, 93 and 103. It will be noticed that the surface area of one of the fastening members 165 is substantially less than the surface area of side by side fastening members 155 to provide for easier mounting of the dust cloth 140 on the platform 60.

There is also provided for the mop head 55 a mop handle 175, the mop handle 175 including an elongated pole or rod 176 terminating in a crosspiece 177, the crosspiece 177 being journaled for rotation in the aligned apertures 67 and 131 provided in the trunnions 66 and the upstanding ears 130. A yoke-shaped member 180 is positioned with the crosspiece 177 and provides two stub axles which fit into the respective ones of the apertures 67 and 131, the yoke-shaped member 180 being resilient so as to enable the member 180 to be compressed to permit removal of the stub axles from the apertures 67 and 131 and the mop handle 175 from the mop head 55.

The operation of the combination dust cloth and dust mop 50 will now be set forth. The dust cloth 140 may be used alone as a dust cloth or in combination with the mop head 55 to provide a dust mop construction 50. When the dust cloth 90 is detached, it may be used to dust furniture and the like as any other dust mop, the shag or nap depending from the dusting surface 142 thereof providing a good dusting surface. When it is desired to convert the dust cloth 140 into a dust mop construction 50, the dust cloth 140 is positioned on a support surface such as the floor with the shag or nap side, that is the dusting surface 142, positioned downwardly and the second fastening members 165 fixedly adhered to the back surface 141 of the dust cloth 140 positioned upwardly. The mop head 55 in its fully constructed condition, as hereinafter will be explained, is positioned over the dust cloth 140 so that the first fastening members 155 are in registry with the second fastening members 165. The mop head 55 is then firmly pressed on to the cloth 140 thereby to mount the cloth 140 to the mop head 55 with the engaged fastening members 155 and 165 providing spaced apart fastening devices. The greater surface area of the fastening members 155 compared to the fastening members 165 permit the mounting of the dust cloth 140 to the mop head 55 without precise alignment of the fastening members 155 and 165. The combination of the dust cloth 140, the mop head 55 and the mop handle 175 provides the dust mop and dust cloth construction 50.

The fastening members 155 and 165 each are provided with a plurality of closely spaced interengageable hooking elements such as those described in U. S. Pat. No. 3,099,235, issued to G. deMestral, Nov. 21, 1961 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference), and sold under the trademark "VELCRO."

The first fastening members 155 may be snapped into and out of position in the mop head 55 between the positions shown in FIG. 4 (the left-hand portion thereof) and the position shown in FIG. 2. The advantage of the easy removability of the first fastening members 155 is that they may be replaced if they become damaged or wear out without replacing the entire mop head 55. Since the fingers 85, 91, 93 and 103 are resilient, the first fastening members 155 can be snapped into and out of position on the mop head 55, the bosses 110 and 111 preventing the fastening members 155 from sliding transversely of the mop head 55 when the fastening members 155 are in the snapped-in position thereof. Removal of the fastening members 155 from the mop head 55 is facilitated by the openings 82 in the peripheral wall 80 of the mop head 55. A screw driver or other flat instrument may be inserted into the openings 82 and the fastening members 155 may thereafter be pried from the resilient fingers holding them in position.

The force transmitting member 120 is also removable from the platform 60 of the mop head 55, the force transmitting member 120 snugly fitting between the supports 100 so that the abutment surface 128 of the force transmitting member 120 is in contact with the abutment surface 101 of the support 100, thereby firmly and frictionally to hold the force transmitting member 120 within the platform 60. Further, the upstanding ears 130 frictionally engage the inside of the trunnions 66, thereby to provide additional frictional engagement between the platform 60 and the force transmitting member 120. Since the ends of the yoke-shaped member 180 fit into and through the apertures 131 in the upstanding ears 130, force applied to the handle 175 is transmitted through the upstanding ears 130 along the struts 133 and 134 to the platform 121 which platform 121 has a substantial surface area as shown in FIG. 3. The portion of the dust cloth 140 underneath the entire bottom surface 123 of the force transmitting member 120, therefore, will have a uniform of force transmitted thereto and evenly distributed thereover to improve the dusting capabilities of the combination dust cloth and dust mop 50.

It should be noticed that the distance between the backing sheet 156 of the fastening member 155 and the back surface 141 of the dust cloth 140 when the fastening members 155 and 165 are engaged is substantially equal to the distance between the notches 86, 92, 94 and 104 and the bottom surface 123 of the force transmitting member 120. This construction is provided so that a smooth dusting surface is produced when the dust cloth 140 is mounted to the mop head 55, and the entire area of the dust cloth 140 under the force transmitting member 120 contacts the area to be dusted without variations in the force applied thereto.

In a constructional example, the platform 60 may be 12 inches in length, 4 1/2 inches in width and may have a thickness at the end thereof of 5/16 inch and a thickness at the trunnions 66 of 3/4 inch. The slots 69 may be three-fourths of an inch long and five-thirty seconds of an inch wide. The distance between the fingers 85 and 91 may be 0.968 inches which is also the distance between the fingers 93 and 103. The force transmitting member may have a length of 7.65 inches and a width of 4.5 inches, the upstanding ears 130 being 1 1/16 inch from the center of the aperture 131 to the bottom surface 123 of the force transmitting member 120. The mop head 55 is preferably made from a synthetic organic resin which is scratch resistant and non-brittle. Polypropylene is the preferred material.

While there has been provided what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications and alterations may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such alterations and modifications as fall in the true spirit and scope of the invention.

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