US20050204495A1 - Motorized mop - Google Patents
Motorized mop Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050204495A1 US20050204495A1 US11/081,916 US8191605A US2005204495A1 US 20050204495 A1 US20050204495 A1 US 20050204495A1 US 8191605 A US8191605 A US 8191605A US 2005204495 A1 US2005204495 A1 US 2005204495A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- mop
- motor
- switch
- mop head
- movable member
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
- A47L13/14—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices
- A47L13/142—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices having torsional squeezing or wringing action
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
- A47L13/14—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
- A47L13/14—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices
- A47L13/144—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices having squeezing rollers
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
- A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
- A47L13/14—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices
- A47L13/146—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing combined with squeezing or wringing devices having pivoting squeezing plates
Definitions
- Mops are used to clean floors as well as other surfaces.
- the head of the mop can become very dirty. Both rinsing and wringing of the mop head are required during the mopping of the floor or surface. It is desirable to provide a mop that has a head that can be wrung out without requiring the user of the mop to touch the dirty mop head.
- Power wringer mops are known.
- a reversible motor that rotates a socket shaft.
- the socket shaft includes a receptor or opening at its bottom.
- a first end of a mop head is received in the opening of the socket shaft and a second end of the mop head is sandwiched between a clamp and the base of the handle.
- the motor rotates the motor shaft which rotates the socket shaft and the first end of the mop rotates.
- a mop includes an elongated handle portion, a movable member slidably mounted on the handle portion, a rotary motor disposed in at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member, a controller in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source, and a mop head.
- the controller regulates power to the motor as a function of a number of rotations of the motor.
- the mop head is detachably connected to at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member. The mop head is selectively connected to the motor.
- a self-wringing mop includes an elongated handle, a movable member slidably connected to the handle, an electric reversible motor disposed in at least one of the handle and the movable member, a mop head attached to the elongated handle and the movable member, and a switch element in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source.
- the mop head is operably connected to the motor.
- the mop head is movable between a use position and a wringing position by sliding movement of the movable member.
- the switch element comprises a first switch for delivering current to the motor in a first direction and a second switch for delivering current to the motor in a second, opposite, direction.
- a self-wringing mop includes a handle, a slidable member slidably connected to the handle, a rotating member connected to the handle, a mop head connected to the slidable member and the rotating member, a motor operably connected to the rotating member, a power source compartment disposed in at least one of the handle portion and the slidable member, and a limit switch in electrical communication with the motor and the power source compartment.
- the mop head is connected to the rotating member and includes an absorbent material.
- the motor drives the rotating member which moves the absorbent material between a wrung and an unwrung position.
- the limit switch opens in response to the position of the absorbent material.
- FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view of a motorized mop showing a strand mop head and a sponge mop head removed from a handle portion.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the motorized mop of FIG. 1 having a strand mop head mounted thereto where the mop head is in a first or mopping ready position.
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the motorized mop of FIG. 1 having a strand mop head mounted thereto where the mop head is in a second or wringing ready position.
- FIG. 4 a is a side view of the mop of FIG. 2 in a third or wrung position with strands of the mop head wound around a front tube of the mop.
- FIG. 4 b is a side view of the mop of FIG. 2 in the second position.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mop of FIG. 1 having a sponge mop head attached thereto, where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping ready, position.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the mop of FIG. 1 having a sponge mop head attached thereto, where the sponge mop head is in a second or wrung position.
- FIG. 7 a is a partial sectional view of the mop of FIG. 2 with strands removed and shown in the first position.
- FIG. 7 b is a partial sectional view of the mop of FIG. 2 with strands removed and shown in the second position.
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a section of an outer housing of the mop of FIG. 1 to show internal components of the mop.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a power unit housing of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the components inside the power unit housing shown in FIG. 9 .
- FIG. 11 is a cross section of a gear box inside the power unit housing shown in FIG. 10 .
- FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a transmission shown in FIG. 11 .
- FIG. 13 a is a side view in partial cross section of the mop of FIG. 2 with the strands removed.
- FIG. 13 b is a close-up view of a circled portion of the mop of FIG. 13 a.
- FIG. 13 c is a cross section of the mop of FIG. 13 b.
- FIG. 14 a is a side view in partial cross section of the mop of FIG. 2 with the strands removed.
- FIG. 14 b is a close-up view of the circled portion of the mop of FIG. 14 a.
- FIG. 15 a is a side cross sectional view of the sponge mop head of FIG. 1 connected to the outer housing where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping position.
- FIG. 15 b is a side cross sectional view of the sponge mop head of FIG. 1 connected to the outer housing where the sponge mop head is in a second or wrung position.
- FIG. 16 is a top plan view, in partial cross section, of a second embodiment of a sponge mop connected to the handle portion of the mop of FIG. 1 , where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping position.
- FIG. 17 is a top plan view, in partial cross section of the mop of FIG. 16 with the mop head shown in a second or wrung position.
- FIG. 18 a is an enlarged perspective view of a switch compartment and battery compartment of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 18 b is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the battery compartment removed from the switch compartment of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the switch compartment and battery compartment of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the circuitry of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a charger housing and a portion of the mop of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the mop of FIG. 2 showing manual wringing of the strand mop head.
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the mop of FIG. 5 showing manual wringing of the sponge mop head.
- FIG. 1 shows a motorized mop 10 that includes a mop head, which can include a string mop head 12 and/or a sponge mop head 14 , attached to a handle portion 16 .
- the handle portion 16 includes a first or front tube 18 received in an outer housing 22 .
- the first tube 18 is slidably mounted in the outer housing 22 so that it can reciprocate in the housing.
- a second or rear tube 24 is also received in and can slide along the length of the outer housing 22 .
- the first tube 18 and the second tube 24 connect with one another, as will be described in more detail below.
- a battery compartment 26 which houses the power source, attaches to a switch compartment 28 that is attached to an end of the second tube 24 .
- the string mop head 12 selectively attaches to the handle portion 16 .
- the string mop head 12 includes a hollow cylindrical portion 32 .
- a resilient tab 34 having a small protrusion 36 formed at the end of the tab is formed in the hollow cylindrical portion 32 .
- the cylindrical portion 32 extends from an attachment ring 38 to which a plurality of mop strands 42 are secured at one end of each mop strand.
- the mop strands 42 are secured at an opposite end to a flared end 44 that extends from a shaft 46 .
- a biased button 48 extends from a side wall of the shaft 46 .
- the shaft 46 selectively attaches to the front tube 18 . More specifically, the shaft 46 is received in the front tube 18 and the button 48 pops out into an opening 52 near a distal end of the front tube. Accordingly, by pushing the button 48 inwardly (towards a longitudinal axis of the shaft 46 ) the shaft 46 can be selectively attached to or removed from the front tube 18 .
- the attachment ring 38 and the hollow cylindrical portion 32 have an opening through which both the first tube 18 and the shaft 46 can protrude. It should be appreciated, however, that the shaft 46 can attach to the front tube 18 in other known ways, including being threaded onto or into the front tube 18 .
- the hollow cylindrical portion 32 selectively attaches to the outer housing 22 .
- An opening 54 is located adjacent an end of the outer housing 22 .
- the protrusion 36 at the end of the resilient tab 34 on the cylindrical portion 32 fits into the opening 54 to attach the string mop head 12 to the outer housing 22 .
- the cylindrical portion 32 can be attached to the outer housing 22 in other known ways, for example a threaded connection, using fasteners, and the like.
- the front tube 18 and the rear tube 24 are slidable within the outer housing 22 , as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2 .
- the front tube 18 is slid into the outer housing 22 and the mop head 12 is positioned to mop the floor.
- the front tube 18 is extended out of the outer housing 22 when the mop head 12 is positioned to wring.
- the rear tube 24 retracts into the outer housing 22 .
- the front tube 18 retracts into the outer housing 22
- the rear tube 24 extends from the outer housing.
- FIG. 4 a shows the strands 42 in an unwound, or unwrung, condition.
- the front tube 18 connects to a power unit housing 56 at an end opposite the mop head 12 or 14 (not shown in FIG. 7 a ).
- the rear tube 24 connects to the power unit housing 56 at an end opposite the switch compartment 28 .
- the power unit housing 56 slides within the outer housing 22 .
- a pair of wings 58 which can be spaced 180 degrees apart from one another, protrude from the power unit housing 56 .
- the wings 58 are received in channels 60 formed on the inside of the outer housing 22 . Accordingly, the power unit housing 56 slides parallel to the longitudinal axis of the outer housing 22 , and the wings 58 remain in the channels 60 to preclude rotation of the power unit housing 56 about the longitudinal axis. While a pair of wings is illustrated, it should be appreciated that one, three or more wings could also be employed. Moreover, other known means of preventing the rotation of the power unit housing about the longitudinal axis of the mop can also be used.
- the power unit housing 56 can include a first section 62 that attaches to a second section 64 to enclose a plurality of internal components.
- the front of the power unit housing 56 the portion adjacent the front tube 18 , includes a plurality of openings 66 that correspond with a plurality of openings 68 in the second section 64 .
- Fasteners extend through the openings 66 and 68 to attach the first section 62 to the second section 64 .
- Other known means for attaching the housing sections such as adhesives, clips, rivets and the like could also be used to attach the sections.
- the rear of the power unit housing 56 the portion adjacent the rear tube 24 , includes a pair of openings 70 in the first section 62 that align with openings 72 in the second section 64 .
- Fasteners 74 extend through the openings 70 and 72 to engage nuts 76 to attach the rear portion of the first section 62 to the rear portion of the second section 64 of the power unit housing 56 .
- the rear tube 24 includes a pair of openings 78 that align with the openings 70 and 72 so that fasteners 74 can protrude through the openings 78 in the rear tube 24 to affix the rear tube 24 to the power unit housing 56 .
- Connection of the rear tube 24 to the power unit housing 56 precludes the rotation of the rear tube 24 with respect to the power unit housing.
- Connection of the rear tube 24 to the power unit housing 56 secures together these parts for reciprocating movement inside the outer housing.
- the rear tube 24 and the power unit housing 56 can also be secured together via other conventional means.
- a motor 84 Disposed in the power unit housing 56 , is a motor 84 that, via a transmission, which is disposed in a gear box 86 and will be described in more detail below, drives the rotational movement of the front tube 18 .
- the motor 84 in a preferred embodiment is an electric reversible motor. If desired, the transmission can be a planetary gear transmission. It should be appreciated that other conventional drive mechanisms can also be used to power the front tube 18 .
- An output shaft 88 which is connected to the transmission disposed in the gear box 86 , attaches to the front tube 18 .
- the output shaft 88 includes an opening 92 that aligns with a pair of aligned openings 94 (only one shown) in the front tube 18 .
- a connecting pin 96 extends through the openings 92 and 94 to connect the front tube 18 to the output shaft 88 .
- the first section 62 also includes a pair of aligned notches 80 that are dimensioned to receive the wings 58 of the gear box 86 .
- the second section 64 includes a pair of aligned notches 82 that align with the notches 80 of the first section 62 . Accordingly, with the wings 58 received in the notches 80 and 82 of the power unit housing 56 , the gear box 86 does not rotate with respect to the power unit housing. Also, with the wings 58 received in the channels 60 of the outer housing 22 , the gear box 86 and the power unit housing 56 do not rotate with respect to the outer housing 22 but can be slid up and down inside the outer housing 22 .
- the wings 58 can also attach to the power unit housing 56 to preclude its rotation.
- the gear box 86 would be fixed in the power unit housing 56 so that it could not rotate with respect to the power unit housing.
- a worm gear 98 attaches to or is received on the output shaft 88 .
- the worm gear 98 engages a limit gear 102 that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the worm gear.
- the limit gear 102 is attached to and coaxial with a cam 104 .
- the worm gear 98 also rotates driving the limit gear 102 to rotate the cam 104 .
- the cam 104 engages a limit switch 106 , which is electrically connected to the motor 84 and a power source, which will be described in more detail below.
- the cam 104 and the gears 98 and 102 are designed such that after a predetermined number rotations of the output shaft 88 and thus the motor 84 , the cam 104 engages the switch 106 to stop the delivery of power to the motor 84 . Even though a mechanical limit switch has been described, other conventional limit switches, or controllers including electronic limit switches, reed sensors and the like, can also be used to control the delivery of power to the motor 84 .
- the motor 84 drives the output shaft 88 through a planetary transmission 112 .
- a planetary transmission 112 is disclosed, other conventional transmissions, including other gear reduction mechanisms, can be used with the motor 84 .
- the motor 84 drives a drive shaft 114 having a pinion 116 mounted thereto.
- the pinion 84 drives a plurality of first planetary gears 118 mounted to a first carrier plate 122 .
- a first carrier pinion 124 attaches to a side of the first carrier plate 122 opposite the side to which the first planetary gears 118 mount.
- the first carrier pinion 124 mounts to the carrier plate 122 axially aligned with the drive shaft 114 and the output shaft 88 .
- the first carrier plate pinion 124 can engage a plurality of second planetary gears 126 mounted to a second carrier plate 128 .
- a second carrier pinion 132 attaches to a side of the second carrier plate 128 opposite the side to which the second planetary gears 126 mount.
- the second carrier pinion 132 also axially aligns with the drive shaft 114 and the output shaft 88 .
- the second carrier pinion 132 can engage a third plurality of planetary gears 134 which are mounted to a third carrier plate 136 . It is apparent that the output shaft 88 protrudes from the third carrier plate 136 .
- the motor 84 drives the drive shaft 114 rotating the pinion 116 .
- the pinion 116 engages the planetary gears 118 which engage an inside surface 138 of the gear box 86 . Since the gear box 86 does not rotate because the wings 56 are retained by the power unit housing 56 and the channels 60 of the outer housing 22 , the first carrier plate 122 rotates about an axis defined by the drive shaft 114 and the output shaft 88 .
- the rotation of the first carrier plate 122 results in the rotation of the first carrier pinion 124 which drives the second set of planetary gears 126 .
- the second set of planetary gears 126 also engage the inside surface 138 of the gear box 56 resulting in rotation of the second carrier plate 128 .
- Rotation of the second carrier plate 128 results in rotation of the second carrier pinion 132 which engages the third plurality of planetary gears 134 .
- the third plurality of planetary gears 134 engages the inside surface 138 of the gear box 86 resulting in the rotation of the third carrier plate 136 which results in the rotation of the output shaft 88 .
- the front tube 18 rotates to wring the string mop head 12 .
- the cam 104 contacts the limit switch 106 in an off position so that power is no longer delivered to the motor 84 to stop the rotation of the front tube 18 .
- the switch is in the on position and power is being delivered to the motor 84 .
- a second limit switch 142 can prevent operation of the motor 84 when the front tube 18 is retracted into the outer housing 22 .
- the switch 142 which is optional, is located on power unit housing 56 near the connection to the rear tube 24 and is aligned with one of the tracks 60 in the outer housing 22 .
- an arm 144 of the switch 142 is depressed and the switch prevents power from being delivered to the motor.
- the switch 142 is located outside of the track when the front tube 18 is retracted into the outer housing 22 and the rear tube 24 is extended from the outer housing, i.e., the mopping position.
- the switch 142 When the switch 142 is located in the track 60 , the arm 144 is extended and the switch allows power to be delivered to the motor 84 .
- the switch is located in the track 60 when the front tube 18 is extended from the outer housing 22 and the rear tube 24 is retracted in the outer housing, i.e., the wringing position.
- sensors e.g. optical sensors, magnetic sensors and the like.
- the battery compartment 26 selectively attaches to the switch compartment 28 . While one means of providing power to the motor 84 is the battery compartment 26 , it should be appreciated that the motor could also be powered from a wall outlet via a conventional electric cord and a transformer (not illustrated). The benefit of employing battery power for this purpose is to enable the user to move the mop as need without being tied to an electrical outlet.
- the switch compartment 28 includes a male threaded end 146 that is received in a female threaded end 148 of the battery compartment 26 .
- the battery compartment holds a plurality of batteries 152 , which is this embodiment can be C batteries.
- the one or more batteries in the battery compartment can be rechargeable cells.
- a pair of contacts 154 are located in the female end 148 of the battery compartment 26 that contact a pair of contacts 156 located on the male end 146 of the switch compartment 28 when the battery compartment 26 attaches to the switch compartment 28 .
- the user of the mop 10 depresses a button 162 to actuate the wringing of the mop head 12 .
- the button 162 controls a main switch 164 , which is electrically connected to the batteries 152 and the motor 84 .
- the main switch 164 includes internal switches A and B.
- switch A opens and switch B closes so that the motor turns in a first, wringing, direction.
- switch B opens and switch A closes so that the motor turns in a second, unwinding, direction, which is opposite the first direction.
- the limit switch 106 controls the delivery of power to the motor 84 when button 162 is released.
- the second limit switch 142 can also control the delivery of power to the motor 84 .
- the second limit switch can be referred to as a safety switch since it precludes the delivery of power to the motor 84 when the front tube 18 is retracted in the outer housing 22 .
- the circuitry for the mop 10 can also include an overload switch 166 .
- the overload switch 166 can be a bi-metal switch that cuts out or shorts when the current being delivered to the motor 84 is too high over a predetermined time.
- the overload switch can prevent motor burnout and save batteries.
- a current at which the overload switch 166 cuts out can be dependent upon the type of electric motor 84 and power source.
- the overload switch 166 cuts out power when the motor 84 stalls, such as when the string mop head 12 is fully twisted and continues to try to twist.
- the mop can include a rechargeable power source.
- the rear tube 24 can include a mounting opening 172 and a plug inlet 174 .
- the rear tube 24 is received in a recess 176 formed in a charger/hanger housing 178 .
- a mounting hook 182 and an electric plug 184 are positioned in the recess 176 .
- the mounting hook 182 is received in the mounting opening 172 to retain the rear tube 24 .
- the plug 184 is received in the plug inlet 174 to deliver power to the rechargeable power source.
- the charger/hanger housing 178 electrically connects to a conventional wall outlet (not shown).
- the housing 178 can include a plug inlet 186 that is electrically connected to the plug 184 .
- the plug inlet 186 receives a plug 188 which is electrically connected to a wall transformer 192 that plugs into the conventional wall outlet.
- the wall transformer 192 is generally known in the art and can include a class 2 power supply.
- the housing 178 can include a fastener 194 so that the housing 178 can mount to a wall so that the entire unit can be hung and recharged at the same time.
- a user of the mop 10 can also manually wring the mop head 12 .
- the attachment ring 38 is rotated when the front tube 18 is extended from the outer housing 22 .
- the attachment ring 38 is removed from the outer housing 22 by removing the protrusion 36 from the opening 54 in the outer housing 22 .
- the attachment ring 38 can then be rotated.
- the sponge mop head 14 can also selectively attach to the handle portion 16 .
- the sponge mop head 14 includes a hollow cylindrical portion 202 received in the outer housing 22 .
- a resilient tab 204 having a protrusion 206 is formed in the hollow cylindrical portion 202 , similar to the string mop head 12 .
- the protrusion 206 extends into the opening 54 in the outer housing 22 to attach the sponge mop head 14 to the outer housing.
- the sponge mop head 14 can also be automatically wrung.
- the cylindrical portion 202 of the sponge mop head 14 projects from a head frame 208 having a U-shaped end 212 .
- a pair of rollers 214 attach at each end of the U-shaped end 212 .
- a sponge 216 is retractable into an interior space defined by the U-shaped end. In one means of attachment, the sponge 216 attaches to a lead screw 218 , which is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the front tube 18 when the head 14 is attached to the outer housing 22 , through a clamp 222 and bar 224 .
- the sponge 216 is selectively removable from the clamp 222 by loosening wing nuts 230 located on the bar 224 .
- a lead screw nut 226 is threadably received on the lead screw 218 . Included is an attachment member 228 to attach the lead screw nut 226 to the front tube 18 .
- the lead screw nut 226 is retained by an internal wall 232 of the head frame 208 . Accordingly, as the front tube 18 is rotated by the motor 84 , the front tube turns the lead screw nut 226 . Since the lead screw nut 226 can not move axially along the lead screw 218 because of the internal wall 232 , the lead screw 218 is drawn axially into the front tube 18 as the lead screw nut 226 is tightened.
- the limit switches 106 , 142 and 166 discussed above can control the movement of the lead screw 218 .
- An opening 234 is also provided in the head frame 208 to provide access to the attachment member 228 .
- the opening 234 allows the user of the mop 10 to reach in and disconnect the front tube 18 from the lead screw nut 226 so that the sponge mop head 14 can be removed from the handle portion 16 .
- a flat sponge 242 can also be selectively attached to the handle portion 16 .
- the flat sponge 242 attaches to a first plate 244 and a second plate 246 .
- the first plate 246 pivotally mounts to a hinge 252 and the second plate 246 also pivotally mounts to the hinge 252 .
- the hinge attaches to the lead screw 218 , described above.
- the lead screw 218 cooperates with the lead screw nut 226 and the front tube 18 in a similar manner to the mop head 14 described above.
- the space defined by the U-shaped portion of the frame can be larger to accommodate the flat sponge 242 and the plates 244 and 246 .
- the user of the mop 10 with the sponge mop head 14 can also manually wring the sponge mop head when so desired.
- the front tube 18 is retracted into the outer housing 22 and the rear tube 24 is pulled from the outer housing.
- this action pulls the lead screw nut 226 away from the internal wall 232 , which pulls the lead screw 218 toward the rear of the handle portion. This pulls the sponge 216 back into the space defined by the U-shaped end 212 so that the sponge is forced between the rollers 214 .
Abstract
A mop includes an elongated handle portion, a movable member slidably mounted on the handle portion, a rotary motor disposed in at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member, a controller in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source, and a mop head. The controller regulates power to the motor as a function of a number of rotations of the motor. The mop head is detachably connected to at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member. The mop head is selectively connected to the motor.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/554,122, which is herein incorporated by reference.
- Mops are used to clean floors as well as other surfaces. When mopping a floor, the head of the mop can become very dirty. Both rinsing and wringing of the mop head are required during the mopping of the floor or surface. It is desirable to provide a mop that has a head that can be wrung out without requiring the user of the mop to touch the dirty mop head.
- Power wringer mops are known. Once such mop includes a reversible motor that rotates a socket shaft. The socket shaft includes a receptor or opening at its bottom. A first end of a mop head is received in the opening of the socket shaft and a second end of the mop head is sandwiched between a clamp and the base of the handle. To wring the mop, the motor rotates the motor shaft which rotates the socket shaft and the first end of the mop rotates.
- A mop includes an elongated handle portion, a movable member slidably mounted on the handle portion, a rotary motor disposed in at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member, a controller in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source, and a mop head. The controller regulates power to the motor as a function of a number of rotations of the motor. The mop head is detachably connected to at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member. The mop head is selectively connected to the motor.
- A self-wringing mop includes an elongated handle, a movable member slidably connected to the handle, an electric reversible motor disposed in at least one of the handle and the movable member, a mop head attached to the elongated handle and the movable member, and a switch element in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source. The mop head is operably connected to the motor. The mop head is movable between a use position and a wringing position by sliding movement of the movable member. The switch element comprises a first switch for delivering current to the motor in a first direction and a second switch for delivering current to the motor in a second, opposite, direction.
- A self-wringing mop includes a handle, a slidable member slidably connected to the handle, a rotating member connected to the handle, a mop head connected to the slidable member and the rotating member, a motor operably connected to the rotating member, a power source compartment disposed in at least one of the handle portion and the slidable member, and a limit switch in electrical communication with the motor and the power source compartment. The mop head is connected to the rotating member and includes an absorbent material. The motor drives the rotating member which moves the absorbent material between a wrung and an unwrung position. The limit switch opens in response to the position of the absorbent material.
- A mop will take form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view of a motorized mop showing a strand mop head and a sponge mop head removed from a handle portion. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the motorized mop ofFIG. 1 having a strand mop head mounted thereto where the mop head is in a first or mopping ready position. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the motorized mop ofFIG. 1 having a strand mop head mounted thereto where the mop head is in a second or wringing ready position. -
FIG. 4 a is a side view of the mop ofFIG. 2 in a third or wrung position with strands of the mop head wound around a front tube of the mop. -
FIG. 4 b is a side view of the mop ofFIG. 2 in the second position. -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mop ofFIG. 1 having a sponge mop head attached thereto, where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping ready, position. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the mop ofFIG. 1 having a sponge mop head attached thereto, where the sponge mop head is in a second or wrung position. -
FIG. 7 a is a partial sectional view of the mop ofFIG. 2 with strands removed and shown in the first position. -
FIG. 7 b is a partial sectional view of the mop ofFIG. 2 with strands removed and shown in the second position. -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a section of an outer housing of the mop ofFIG. 1 to show internal components of the mop. -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a power unit housing of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the components inside the power unit housing shown inFIG. 9 . -
FIG. 11 is a cross section of a gear box inside the power unit housing shown inFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a transmission shown inFIG. 11 . -
FIG. 13 a is a side view in partial cross section of the mop ofFIG. 2 with the strands removed. -
FIG. 13 b is a close-up view of a circled portion of the mop ofFIG. 13 a. -
FIG. 13 c is a cross section of the mop ofFIG. 13 b. -
FIG. 14 a is a side view in partial cross section of the mop ofFIG. 2 with the strands removed. -
FIG. 14 b is a close-up view of the circled portion of the mop ofFIG. 14 a. -
FIG. 15 a is a side cross sectional view of the sponge mop head ofFIG. 1 connected to the outer housing where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping position. -
FIG. 15 b is a side cross sectional view of the sponge mop head ofFIG. 1 connected to the outer housing where the sponge mop head is in a second or wrung position. -
FIG. 16 is a top plan view, in partial cross section, of a second embodiment of a sponge mop connected to the handle portion of the mop ofFIG. 1 , where the sponge mop head is in a first or mopping position. -
FIG. 17 is a top plan view, in partial cross section of the mop ofFIG. 16 with the mop head shown in a second or wrung position. -
FIG. 18 a is an enlarged perspective view of a switch compartment and battery compartment of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 18 b is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the battery compartment removed from the switch compartment of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the switch compartment and battery compartment of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 20 is a schematic view of the circuitry of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a charger housing and a portion of the mop ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the mop ofFIG. 2 showing manual wringing of the strand mop head. -
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the mop ofFIG. 5 showing manual wringing of the sponge mop head. - Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of a mop only and not for purposes of limiting the invention to only the described embodiments,
FIG. 1 shows amotorized mop 10 that includes a mop head, which can include astring mop head 12 and/or asponge mop head 14, attached to ahandle portion 16. Thehandle portion 16 includes a first orfront tube 18 received in anouter housing 22. Thefirst tube 18 is slidably mounted in theouter housing 22 so that it can reciprocate in the housing. A second orrear tube 24 is also received in and can slide along the length of theouter housing 22. Thefirst tube 18 and thesecond tube 24 connect with one another, as will be described in more detail below. Abattery compartment 26, which houses the power source, attaches to aswitch compartment 28 that is attached to an end of thesecond tube 24. - The
string mop head 12 selectively attaches to thehandle portion 16. Thestring mop head 12 includes a hollowcylindrical portion 32. Aresilient tab 34 having asmall protrusion 36 formed at the end of the tab is formed in the hollowcylindrical portion 32. Thecylindrical portion 32 extends from anattachment ring 38 to which a plurality ofmop strands 42 are secured at one end of each mop strand. Themop strands 42 are secured at an opposite end to a flaredend 44 that extends from ashaft 46. Abiased button 48 extends from a side wall of theshaft 46. - The
shaft 46 selectively attaches to thefront tube 18. More specifically, theshaft 46 is received in thefront tube 18 and thebutton 48 pops out into anopening 52 near a distal end of the front tube. Accordingly, by pushing thebutton 48 inwardly (towards a longitudinal axis of the shaft 46) theshaft 46 can be selectively attached to or removed from thefront tube 18. For theshaft 46 to be received by thefirst tube 18, theattachment ring 38 and the hollowcylindrical portion 32 have an opening through which both thefirst tube 18 and theshaft 46 can protrude. It should be appreciated, however, that theshaft 46 can attach to thefront tube 18 in other known ways, including being threaded onto or into thefront tube 18. - The hollow
cylindrical portion 32 selectively attaches to theouter housing 22. Anopening 54 is located adjacent an end of theouter housing 22. Theprotrusion 36 at the end of theresilient tab 34 on thecylindrical portion 32 fits into theopening 54 to attach thestring mop head 12 to theouter housing 22. However, thecylindrical portion 32 can be attached to theouter housing 22 in other known ways, for example a threaded connection, using fasteners, and the like. - As mentioned above, the
front tube 18 and therear tube 24 are slidable within theouter housing 22, as shown by the arrows inFIG. 2 . For use, thefront tube 18 is slid into theouter housing 22 and themop head 12 is positioned to mop the floor. With reference now toFIG. 3 , thefront tube 18 is extended out of theouter housing 22 when themop head 12 is positioned to wring. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 , when thefront tube 18 extends from theouter housing 22 therear tube 24 retracts into theouter housing 22. Likewise, when thefront tube 18 retracts into theouter housing 22, therear tube 24 extends from the outer housing. - For wringing, and with reference to
FIG. 4 a, thestrands 42 of themop head 12 wind around thefront tube 18. Thefront tube 18 rotates about its longitudinal axis while theattachment ring 38 and theouter housing 22 remains stationary. Therefore, the end of thestrands 42 attached to the flaredend 44 rotate and the end of thestrands 42 attached to theattachment ring 38 do not rotate so that thestrands 42 wind around thefront tube 18.FIG. 4 b shows thestrands 42 in an unwound, or unwrung, condition. - With reference to
FIG. 7 a, the connection between thefront tube 18 and therear tube 24 is shown. Thefront tube 18 connects to apower unit housing 56 at an end opposite themop head 12 or 14 (not shown inFIG. 7 a). Therear tube 24 connects to thepower unit housing 56 at an end opposite theswitch compartment 28. As seen inFIGS. 7 a and 7 b, thepower unit housing 56 slides within theouter housing 22. - With reference to
FIG. 8 , a pair ofwings 58, which can be spaced 180 degrees apart from one another, protrude from thepower unit housing 56. Thewings 58 are received inchannels 60 formed on the inside of theouter housing 22. Accordingly, thepower unit housing 56 slides parallel to the longitudinal axis of theouter housing 22, and thewings 58 remain in thechannels 60 to preclude rotation of thepower unit housing 56 about the longitudinal axis. While a pair of wings is illustrated, it should be appreciated that one, three or more wings could also be employed. Moreover, other known means of preventing the rotation of the power unit housing about the longitudinal axis of the mop can also be used. - With reference now to
FIG. 10 , thepower unit housing 56 can include afirst section 62 that attaches to asecond section 64 to enclose a plurality of internal components. The front of thepower unit housing 56, the portion adjacent thefront tube 18, includes a plurality ofopenings 66 that correspond with a plurality ofopenings 68 in thesecond section 64. Fasteners (not shown) extend through theopenings first section 62 to thesecond section 64. Other known means for attaching the housing sections, such as adhesives, clips, rivets and the like could also be used to attach the sections. - Likewise, the rear of the
power unit housing 56, the portion adjacent therear tube 24, includes a pair ofopenings 70 in thefirst section 62 that align withopenings 72 in thesecond section 64.Fasteners 74 extend through theopenings nuts 76 to attach the rear portion of thefirst section 62 to the rear portion of thesecond section 64 of thepower unit housing 56. Therear tube 24 includes a pair ofopenings 78 that align with theopenings fasteners 74 can protrude through theopenings 78 in therear tube 24 to affix therear tube 24 to thepower unit housing 56. Connection of therear tube 24 to thepower unit housing 56 precludes the rotation of therear tube 24 with respect to the power unit housing. Connection of therear tube 24 to thepower unit housing 56 secures together these parts for reciprocating movement inside the outer housing. Therear tube 24 and thepower unit housing 56 can also be secured together via other conventional means. - Disposed in the
power unit housing 56, is amotor 84 that, via a transmission, which is disposed in agear box 86 and will be described in more detail below, drives the rotational movement of thefront tube 18. Themotor 84 in a preferred embodiment is an electric reversible motor. If desired, the transmission can be a planetary gear transmission. It should be appreciated that other conventional drive mechanisms can also be used to power thefront tube 18. Anoutput shaft 88, which is connected to the transmission disposed in thegear box 86, attaches to thefront tube 18. Theoutput shaft 88 includes anopening 92 that aligns with a pair of aligned openings 94 (only one shown) in thefront tube 18. A connectingpin 96 extends through theopenings front tube 18 to theoutput shaft 88. - With continued reference to
FIG. 10 , thefirst section 62 also includes a pair of alignednotches 80 that are dimensioned to receive thewings 58 of thegear box 86. Likewise, thesecond section 64 includes a pair of aligned notches 82 that align with thenotches 80 of thefirst section 62. Accordingly, with thewings 58 received in thenotches 80 and 82 of thepower unit housing 56, thegear box 86 does not rotate with respect to the power unit housing. Also, with thewings 58 received in thechannels 60 of theouter housing 22, thegear box 86 and thepower unit housing 56 do not rotate with respect to theouter housing 22 but can be slid up and down inside theouter housing 22. Even though thewings 58 have been described as attached or integral with thegear box 86, thewings 58 can also attach to thepower unit housing 56 to preclude its rotation. In such an embodiment, thegear box 86 would be fixed in thepower unit housing 56 so that it could not rotate with respect to the power unit housing. - A
worm gear 98 attaches to or is received on theoutput shaft 88. Theworm gear 98 engages alimit gear 102 that rotates about an axis perpendicular to the worm gear. Thelimit gear 102 is attached to and coaxial with acam 104. As theoutput shaft 88 rotates, theworm gear 98 also rotates driving thelimit gear 102 to rotate thecam 104. Thecam 104 engages alimit switch 106, which is electrically connected to themotor 84 and a power source, which will be described in more detail below. Thecam 104 and thegears output shaft 88 and thus themotor 84, thecam 104 engages theswitch 106 to stop the delivery of power to themotor 84. Even though a mechanical limit switch has been described, other conventional limit switches, or controllers including electronic limit switches, reed sensors and the like, can also be used to control the delivery of power to themotor 84. - With reference to
FIG. 11 , themotor 84 drives theoutput shaft 88 through aplanetary transmission 112. Even though aplanetary transmission 112 is disclosed, other conventional transmissions, including other gear reduction mechanisms, can be used with themotor 84. With reference toFIG. 12 , themotor 84 drives adrive shaft 114 having apinion 116 mounted thereto. Thepinion 84 drives a plurality of firstplanetary gears 118 mounted to afirst carrier plate 122. Afirst carrier pinion 124 attaches to a side of thefirst carrier plate 122 opposite the side to which the firstplanetary gears 118 mount. In this embodiment, thefirst carrier pinion 124 mounts to thecarrier plate 122 axially aligned with thedrive shaft 114 and theoutput shaft 88. - The first
carrier plate pinion 124 can engage a plurality of secondplanetary gears 126 mounted to asecond carrier plate 128. Asecond carrier pinion 132 attaches to a side of thesecond carrier plate 128 opposite the side to which the secondplanetary gears 126 mount. Thesecond carrier pinion 132 also axially aligns with thedrive shaft 114 and theoutput shaft 88. - The
second carrier pinion 132 can engage a third plurality ofplanetary gears 134 which are mounted to athird carrier plate 136. It is apparent that theoutput shaft 88 protrudes from thethird carrier plate 136. Themotor 84 drives thedrive shaft 114 rotating thepinion 116. Thepinion 116 engages theplanetary gears 118 which engage aninside surface 138 of thegear box 86. Since thegear box 86 does not rotate because thewings 56 are retained by thepower unit housing 56 and thechannels 60 of theouter housing 22, thefirst carrier plate 122 rotates about an axis defined by thedrive shaft 114 and theoutput shaft 88. The rotation of thefirst carrier plate 122 results in the rotation of thefirst carrier pinion 124 which drives the second set ofplanetary gears 126. The second set ofplanetary gears 126 also engage theinside surface 138 of thegear box 56 resulting in rotation of thesecond carrier plate 128. Rotation of thesecond carrier plate 128 results in rotation of thesecond carrier pinion 132 which engages the third plurality ofplanetary gears 134. The third plurality ofplanetary gears 134 engages theinside surface 138 of thegear box 86 resulting in the rotation of thethird carrier plate 136 which results in the rotation of theoutput shaft 88. - As mentioned above, the
front tube 18 rotates to wring thestring mop head 12. With reference toFIG. 13 b, thecam 104 contacts thelimit switch 106 in an off position so that power is no longer delivered to themotor 84 to stop the rotation of thefront tube 18. With reference toFIG. 14 b, when thecam 104 no longer contacts theswitch 106, the switch is in the on position and power is being delivered to themotor 84. - With continued reference to
FIG. 14 , asecond limit switch 142 can prevent operation of themotor 84 when thefront tube 18 is retracted into theouter housing 22. Theswitch 142, which is optional, is located onpower unit housing 56 near the connection to therear tube 24 and is aligned with one of thetracks 60 in theouter housing 22. When theswitch 142 is located outside of thetrack 60, anarm 144 of theswitch 142 is depressed and the switch prevents power from being delivered to the motor. Theswitch 142 is located outside of the track when thefront tube 18 is retracted into theouter housing 22 and therear tube 24 is extended from the outer housing, i.e., the mopping position. When theswitch 142 is located in thetrack 60, thearm 144 is extended and the switch allows power to be delivered to themotor 84. The switch is located in thetrack 60 when thefront tube 18 is extended from theouter housing 22 and therear tube 24 is retracted in the outer housing, i.e., the wringing position. Even though alimit switch 142 has been described, other controllers can be used to regulate power to the motor, including sensors, e.g. optical sensors, magnetic sensors and the like. - With reference to
FIG. 18 a, thebattery compartment 26 selectively attaches to theswitch compartment 28. While one means of providing power to themotor 84 is thebattery compartment 26, it should be appreciated that the motor could also be powered from a wall outlet via a conventional electric cord and a transformer (not illustrated). The benefit of employing battery power for this purpose is to enable the user to move the mop as need without being tied to an electrical outlet. Referring toFIG. 18 b, theswitch compartment 28 includes a male threadedend 146 that is received in a female threadedend 148 of thebattery compartment 26. With reference toFIG. 19 , the battery compartment holds a plurality ofbatteries 152, which is this embodiment can be C batteries. Alternatively, the one or more batteries in the battery compartment can be rechargeable cells. A pair ofcontacts 154 are located in thefemale end 148 of thebattery compartment 26 that contact a pair ofcontacts 156 located on themale end 146 of theswitch compartment 28 when thebattery compartment 26 attaches to theswitch compartment 28. - With reference again to
FIG. 18 a, the user of themop 10 depresses abutton 162 to actuate the wringing of themop head 12. Thebutton 162 controls amain switch 164, which is electrically connected to thebatteries 152 and themotor 84. With reference toFIG. 20 , themain switch 164 includes internal switches A and B. When the button 162 (FIG. 18 ) is depressed, switch A opens and switch B closes so that the motor turns in a first, wringing, direction. When thebutton 162 is released, switch B opens and switch A closes so that the motor turns in a second, unwinding, direction, which is opposite the first direction. As mentioned, thelimit switch 106 controls the delivery of power to themotor 84 whenbutton 162 is released. - While the
switch 106 controls the power to themotor 84, the position of thecam 104 controls the operation of the switch. In this manner, theswitch 106 can be referred to as self-positioning because power will be delivered to themotor 84 until thecam 104 returns to a predetermined position whereby theswitch 106 is returned to the off position and power is no longer delivered to themotor 84. - As also seen in
FIG. 20 , thesecond limit switch 142 can also control the delivery of power to themotor 84. The second limit switch can be referred to as a safety switch since it precludes the delivery of power to themotor 84 when thefront tube 18 is retracted in theouter housing 22. - The circuitry for the
mop 10 can also include anoverload switch 166. Theoverload switch 166 can be a bi-metal switch that cuts out or shorts when the current being delivered to themotor 84 is too high over a predetermined time. The overload switch can prevent motor burnout and save batteries. A current at which theoverload switch 166 cuts out can be dependent upon the type ofelectric motor 84 and power source. Theoverload switch 166 cuts out power when themotor 84 stalls, such as when thestring mop head 12 is fully twisted and continues to try to twist. - In addition to, or in lieu of, using conventional batteries to power the
mop 10, the mop can include a rechargeable power source. With reference toFIG. 21 , therear tube 24 can include a mountingopening 172 and aplug inlet 174. Therear tube 24 is received in arecess 176 formed in a charger/hanger housing 178. A mountinghook 182 and anelectric plug 184 are positioned in therecess 176. The mountinghook 182 is received in the mountingopening 172 to retain therear tube 24. Theplug 184 is received in theplug inlet 174 to deliver power to the rechargeable power source. - The charger/
hanger housing 178 electrically connects to a conventional wall outlet (not shown). Thehousing 178 can include aplug inlet 186 that is electrically connected to theplug 184. Theplug inlet 186 receives aplug 188 which is electrically connected to awall transformer 192 that plugs into the conventional wall outlet. Thewall transformer 192 is generally known in the art and can include a class 2 power supply. Thehousing 178 can include afastener 194 so that thehousing 178 can mount to a wall so that the entire unit can be hung and recharged at the same time. - In the event of a power failure, or when desirable, a user of the
mop 10 can also manually wring themop head 12. To wring manually, theattachment ring 38 is rotated when thefront tube 18 is extended from theouter housing 22. To rotate theattachment ring 38, theattachment ring 38 is removed from theouter housing 22 by removing theprotrusion 36 from theopening 54 in theouter housing 22. Theattachment ring 38 can then be rotated. - With reference back to
FIG. 1 , thesponge mop head 14 can also selectively attach to thehandle portion 16. Thesponge mop head 14 includes a hollowcylindrical portion 202 received in theouter housing 22. Aresilient tab 204 having aprotrusion 206 is formed in the hollowcylindrical portion 202, similar to thestring mop head 12. Theprotrusion 206 extends into theopening 54 in theouter housing 22 to attach thesponge mop head 14 to the outer housing. As seen inFIGS. 5 and 6 , thesponge mop head 14 can also be automatically wrung. - With reference to
FIGS. 15 a and 15 b, thecylindrical portion 202 of thesponge mop head 14 projects from ahead frame 208 having aU-shaped end 212. A pair ofrollers 214 attach at each end of theU-shaped end 212. A sponge 216 is retractable into an interior space defined by the U-shaped end. In one means of attachment, the sponge 216 attaches to alead screw 218, which is aligned with the longitudinal axis of thefront tube 18 when thehead 14 is attached to theouter housing 22, through aclamp 222 andbar 224. The sponge 216 is selectively removable from theclamp 222 by looseningwing nuts 230 located on thebar 224. - A
lead screw nut 226 is threadably received on thelead screw 218. Included is anattachment member 228 to attach thelead screw nut 226 to thefront tube 18. Thelead screw nut 226 is retained by aninternal wall 232 of thehead frame 208. Accordingly, as thefront tube 18 is rotated by themotor 84, the front tube turns thelead screw nut 226. Since thelead screw nut 226 can not move axially along thelead screw 218 because of theinternal wall 232, thelead screw 218 is drawn axially into thefront tube 18 as thelead screw nut 226 is tightened. The limit switches 106, 142 and 166 discussed above can control the movement of thelead screw 218. - An
opening 234 is also provided in thehead frame 208 to provide access to theattachment member 228. Theopening 234 allows the user of themop 10 to reach in and disconnect thefront tube 18 from thelead screw nut 226 so that thesponge mop head 14 can be removed from thehandle portion 16. - With reference to
FIG. 16 , aflat sponge 242 can also be selectively attached to thehandle portion 16. Theflat sponge 242 attaches to afirst plate 244 and asecond plate 246. Thefirst plate 246 pivotally mounts to ahinge 252 and thesecond plate 246 also pivotally mounts to thehinge 252. In this embodiment, the hinge attaches to thelead screw 218, described above. Thelead screw 218 cooperates with thelead screw nut 226 and thefront tube 18 in a similar manner to themop head 14 described above. In the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 16 and 17 , the space defined by the U-shaped portion of the frame can be larger to accommodate theflat sponge 242 and theplates - With reference to
FIG. 23 , the user of themop 10 with thesponge mop head 14 can also manually wring the sponge mop head when so desired. To manually wring thesponge mop head 14, thefront tube 18 is retracted into theouter housing 22 and therear tube 24 is pulled from the outer housing. With reference back toFIGS. 15 a and 15 b, this action pulls thelead screw nut 226 away from theinternal wall 232, which pulls thelead screw 218 toward the rear of the handle portion. This pulls the sponge 216 back into the space defined by theU-shaped end 212 so that the sponge is forced between therollers 214. - The mop has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to those upon reading the preceding description. All such modifications that come within the appended claims, or the equivalents thereof, are intended to be covered.
Claims (20)
1. A mop comprising:
an elongated handle portion;
a movable member slidably mounted on the handle portion;
a rotary motor disposed in at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member;
a controller in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source, wherein the controller regulates power to the motor as a function of a number of rotations of the motor; and
a mop head including an absorbent material, the mop head being detachably connected to at least one of the elongated handle portion and the movable member, and being selectively connected to the motor.
2. The mop of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent material comprises a sponge.
3. The mop of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent material comprises a plurality of fiber strands.
4. The mop of claim 1 , wherein the mop head includes a first latch element and the movable member includes a second latch element, the first and second latch elements cooperating to selectively secure the mop head to the movable member.
5. The mop of claim 1 , further comprising a battery compartment for storing batteries to power the motor.
6. The mop of claim 5 , futher comprising an on-off switch in electrical communication with the battery compartment and the motor.
7. The mop of claim 1 , wherein the control further comprises a mechanical limit switch for controlling the number of rotations of the motor in at least a first rotational direction.
8. The mop of claim 1 , further comprising a switch in electrical communication with the motor and the associated power source, wherein the switch controls the amount of current flowing to the motor.
9. The mop of claim 1 , further comprising a switch in electrical communication with the motor and the associated power source, wherein the switch controls power to the motor as a function of the location of the movable member in relation to the handle portion.
10. The mop of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the movable member and the handle portion is configured to limit rotational movement of at least a portion of the handle portion with respect to the movable member.
11. The mop of claim 1 , wherein the mop head is movable between a use position and a wringing position by sliding movement of the movable member.
12. A self-wringing mop comprising:
an elongated handle;
a movable member slidably connected to the handle;
an electric reversible motor disposed in at least one of the handle and the movable member;
a mop head attached to the elongated handle and the movable member, and operably connected to the motor, wherein the mop head is movable between a use position and a wringing position by sliding movement of the movable member; and
a switch element in electrical communication with the motor and an associated power source, wherein the switch element comprises a first switch for delivering current to the motor in a first direction and a second switch for delivering current to the motor in a second, opposite, direction.
13. The self-wringing mop of claim 12 , further comprising a button for activating the switch element, wherein upon pressing the button the first switch is closed and the second switch is open, and upon releasing the button the second switch is closed and the first switch is open.
14. The self-wringing mop of claim 12 , further comprising a limit switch in electrical communication with the motor and the power source, wherein the limit switch is opened and closed in response to movement of the mop head.
15. The self-wringing mop of claim 12 , further comprising an overload switch in electrical communication with the motor and the power source, wherein the overload switch opens at a predetermined current.
16. The self-wringing mop of claim 12 , wherein the mop head comprises a sponge mop and when the first switch is closed current is delivered to the motor in the first direction so that the sponge mop moves from a use position to a wrung position and when the second switch is closed current is delivered to the motor in the second direction so that the sponge mop moves from the wrung position to the use position.
17. The self-wringing mop of claim 12 , wherein the mop head comprises a plurality of fiber strands and when the first switch is closed current is delivered to the motor in the first direction so that the fiber strands are wound in a first rotational direction and when the second switch is closed current is delivered to the motor in the second direction so that the fiber strands are unwound in a second rotational direction.
18. A self-wringing mop comprising:
a handle;
a slidable member slidably connected to the handle;
a rotating member connected to the handle;
a mop head connected to the slidable member and the rotating member, the mop head comprising an absorbent material;
a motor operably connected to the rotating member, wherein the motor drives the rotating member which moves the absorbent material between a wrung and an unwrung position;
a power source compartment disposed in at least one of the handle and the slidable member for receiving an associated power source; and
a limit switch in electrical communication with the motor and the power source compartment, the limit switch opens in response to the position of the absorbent material.
19. The self-wringing mop of claim 18 , wherein the mop head is movable between a use position and a wringing position by sliding movement of the slidable member.
20. The self-wringing mop of claim 19 , further comprising a button, and a switch element in selective contact with the button, wherein the switch element comprises a first switch for delivering current to the motor in a first direction and a second switch for delivering current to the motor in a second, opposite, direction.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US11/081,916 US20050204495A1 (en) | 2004-03-18 | 2005-03-16 | Motorized mop |
PCT/US2005/009320 WO2005089619A1 (en) | 2004-03-18 | 2005-03-17 | Mop with motorized wringing device |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US55412204P | 2004-03-18 | 2004-03-18 | |
US11/081,916 US20050204495A1 (en) | 2004-03-18 | 2005-03-16 | Motorized mop |
Publications (1)
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US20050204495A1 true US20050204495A1 (en) | 2005-09-22 |
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ID=34963224
Family Applications (1)
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US11/081,916 Abandoned US20050204495A1 (en) | 2004-03-18 | 2005-03-16 | Motorized mop |
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WO (1) | WO2005089619A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100287722A1 (en) * | 2009-05-14 | 2010-11-18 | Tsung Mou Yu | Mop With Spinning Device |
CN109044222A (en) * | 2018-09-12 | 2018-12-21 | 耿华复 | One kind can be with quick-drying household mop |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2436519A (en) * | 2006-03-28 | 2007-10-03 | Ta-Chun Kao | Torsionally wringable mop |
US8011055B2 (en) | 2006-06-01 | 2011-09-06 | Carl Freudenberg Kg | Cleaning implement |
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Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100287722A1 (en) * | 2009-05-14 | 2010-11-18 | Tsung Mou Yu | Mop With Spinning Device |
US8214963B2 (en) * | 2009-05-14 | 2012-07-10 | Tsung Mou Yu | Mop with spinning device |
CN109044222A (en) * | 2018-09-12 | 2018-12-21 | 耿华复 | One kind can be with quick-drying household mop |
Also Published As
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WO2005089619A1 (en) | 2005-09-29 |
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Legal Events
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