SELF-WRINGING MOP SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-wringing mop system comprising a main body (1), a head (6) couplable to the main body (1), and a bucket (7) having a particular wringer (71). The interaction between the elements making up this system reduces the effort a user needs to make to wring the mop. The invention is also directed to each of the individual elements, in particular the main body (1), the head (6) and the bucket (7).

Claims

1. Self-wringing mop system, characterized by comprising: a) a self-wringing mop main body, comprising: a pole having an inner duct; a cylindrical jacket slidingly provided around the pole and connected to a minor plunger that slides in a watertight manner along the internal duct of said pole; an essentially cylindrical bushing connected to a lower end of the pole such that the inner duct of the pole communicates, making up an inner watertight chamber, with an actuation duct of the bushing through which a major plunger having a larger diameter than that of the minor plunger slides in a watertight manner, where the major plunger is connected to a return device that biases it upwards, where the major plunger protrudes through w hich the lower end of the bushing, and where the lower end of the bushing further comprises a flange radially protruding therefrom; and two cams rotatably connected to the flange of the bushing in diametrically opposed positions of said flange, where each cam comprises a base rotatably connected to the flange and having an actuation shoulder, and elongated arms protruding from the base, b) a self-wringing mop head couplable to a lower end of the major plunger, where the head has an essentially circular shape from whose periphery a vertical wall protrudes, and where the upper edge of the vertical wall comprises an inner horizontal flange configured to engage the actuation shoulder of the cams when they are oriented with their arm in the vertical direction, and where the lower surface of the head comprises a set of strips formed by a plurality of absorbent strips, and c) a bucket comprising a conical or cylindrical wringer having an upper flange protruding towards the inside, such that, when the head is coupled to the main body, the resulting self-wringing mop can alternate between: a rest position where the major plunger is in a retracted position, such that the head connected to said major plunger is also in a retracted position where the inner horizontal flange is engaged to the actuation shoulder of the cams which, in turn, are oriented with their elongated arm in an essentially vertical direction; and a wringing position where a downward displacement of the cylindrical jacket along the pole by a user causes the minor plunger to push a fluid present inside the watertight internal chamber, which in turn pushes the major plunger downwards. which in turn causes a dow nward displacement of the head coupled thereto such that the inner horizontal flange actuates the actuation shoulder to make the cams rotate until the elongated arms adopt an inclined direction, such that the elongated arms can couple to the upper flange present at the upper edge of the wringer and an additional downward displacement of the jacket causes the major plunger to descend further and compress the set of strips against the wringer, characterized in that: the inner duct of the pole is divided into a central duct having a circular shape and a peripheral duct having a cylindrical shape, where the central duct is in communication with the actuation duct of the bushing, where the central duct is in communication with the peripheral duct through a slotted hole provided at a lower portion of said central duct, and where the minor plunger is correspondingly divided into a central plunger having a circular cross-section sliding along the central duct, and a peripheral plunger having a cylindrical cross-section sliding along the peripheral duct.

2. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1 which, in case the actuation duct of the bushing has a slight conicity to make unmoulding easier, further comprises a variable thickness insert lining the inside of the actuation duct to recover its cylindrical form.

3. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where the upper edge of the vertical wall of the head further comprises an external horizontal flange preventing the absorbent strips from the set of strips to enter inside said head.

4. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where a bottom of the head comprises at least a water evacuation hole to prevent water from accumulating inside the head.

5. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where the ratio between the minor plunger cross-section and the major plunger cross-section is approximately 1:10.

6. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where the fluid in the watertight internal chamber is chosen between: water, glycol, glycerine and air.

7. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1. where the return device is a elastic band or a spring connected to the major plunger.

8. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where the lower end of the major plunger comprises a hole configured for pressure engagement w ith a protrusion provided at the upper surface of the head.

9. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 8, where one between the protrusion of the head and the hole of the major plunger has at least a pair of pins or the like preventing, during use, the head of the mop from rotating with respect to the major plunger it is fixed to.

10. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 6, where the protrusion of the head has pressure fittings to the hole of the major plunger to ensure a more secure fixation between both elements.

11. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where the inner duct of the pole is divided into a central duct having a circular shape and a peripheral duct having a cylindrical shape, where the minor plunger is correspondingly divided into a central plunger having a circular cross-section sliding along the central duct, and a peripheral duct having a cylindrical cross-section sliding along the peripheral duct.

12. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, further comprising a latch allowing the user to selectively lock the cylindrical jacket in its retracted position.

13. Self-wringing mop system according to claim 1, where liquid vaseline is used as a lubricant to ease the displacement of the minor and major plungers.

14. Main body (1) of a self-wringing mop. characteri/ed by comprising: a pole having an inner duct; a cylindrical jacket slidingly provided around the pole and connected to a minor plunger that slides in a watertight manner along the internal duct of said pole; an essentially cylindrical bushing connected to a lower end of the pole such that the inner duct of the pole communicates, making up an inner watertight chamber, with an actuation duct of the bushing through which a major plunger having a larger diameter than that of the minor plunger slides in a watertight manner, where the major plunger is connected to a return device that biases it upwards, where the major plunger protrudes through which the lower end of the bushing, and where the lower end of the bushing further comprises a flange radially protruding therefrom; and two cams rotatably connected to the flange of the bushing in diametrically opposed positions of said flange, where each cam comprises a base rotatably connected to the flange and having an actuation shoulder, and elongated arms protruding from the base, characterized in that the inner duct of the pole is divided into a central duct having a circular shape and a peripheral duct having a cylindrical shape, where the central duct is in communication with the actuation duct of the bushing, where the central duct is in communication with the peripheral duct through a slotted hole provided at a lower portion of said central duct, and where the minor plunger is correspondingly divided into a central plunger having a circular cross-section sliding along the central duct, and a peripheral plunger having a cylindrical cross-section sliding along the peripheral duct.

15. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 14 which, in case the actuation duct of the bushing has a slight conicity to make unmoulding easier, further comprises a variable thickness insert lining the inside of the actuation duct to recover its cylindrical form.

16. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 15, where the ratio between the minor plunger cross-section and the major plunger cross-section is approximately 1:10.

17. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 16, where the fluid inside the watertight inner chamber is chosen between: water, glycol, glycerine and air.

18. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 17, where the return device is an elastic band or a spring connected to the major plunger.

19. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 18, where the lower end of the major plunger comprises a hole configured for pressure coupling a protrusion provided at the upper surface of the head.

20. Self-wringing mop main body according to claim 19, further comprising a latch allowing the user to selectively lock the cylindrical jacket in its retracted position.

21. Self-wringing mop head couplable to the lower end of the major plunger of the main body according to claim 14, where the head has an essentially circular shape from whose periphery a vertical wall protrudes, and where the upper edge of the vertical wall comprises an inner horizontal flange configured to engage the actuation shoulder of the cams when they are oriented with their arm in the vertical direction, and where the lower surface of the head comprises a set of strips formed by a plurality of absorbent strips, such that, when the head is coupled to the main body, the resulting self-wringing mop can alternate between: a rest position where the major plunger is in a retracted position, such that the head connected to said major plunger is also in a retracted position where the inner horizontal flange is engaged to the actuation shoulder of the cams which, in turn, are oriented with their elongated arm in an essentially vertical direction; and a wringing position where a downward displacement of the cylindrical jacket along the pole by a user causes the minor plunger to push a fluid present inside the watertight internal chamber, which in turn pushes the major plunger downwards, which in turn causes a downward displacement of the head coupled thereto such that the inner horizontal flange actuates the actuation shoulder to make the cams rotate until the elongated arms adopt an inclined direction, such that the elongated arms can couple to the upper flange present at the upper edge of the wringer and an additional downward displacement of the jacket causes the major plunger to descend further and compress the set of strips against the wringer.

22. Self-wringing mop head according to claim 21, where the upper edge of the vertical wall further comprises an external horizontal flange preventing the absorbent strips of the set of strips from entering inside said head.

23. Self-wringing mop head according to claim 22, where a bottom of the head comprises at least a water evacuation hole for preventing water from accumulating inside the head.

24. Bucket comprising a cylindrical or conical wringer having an upper flange protruding inwards such that, when the cams of a mop formed by a main body according to claim 14 coupled to a head according to claim 21 are oriented with their arms in an inclined direction, said arms abut against the lower surface of said upper flange, preventing the mop from being extracted from within the wringer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0051] FIGS. 1a, 1b y 1c show the main body of the self-wringing mop of the present invention respectively in the rest position and in the wringing position, and a detail of the jacket with the minor plunger connected thereto.

[0052] FIGS. 2a y 2b respectively show a view and a section of the self-wringing mop head according to the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a view of a bucket having a self-wringing mop wringer according to the present invention.

[0054] FIGS. 4a and 4b show a self-wringing mop formed by the main body coupled to the head respectively in the rest and wringing position.

[0055] FIGS. 5a-5c show in more detail the interaction between the bushing of the main body and the head while moving from the rest position to the wringing position.

[0056] FIGS. 6a-6c schematically show the user of the self-wringing mop according to the present invention.

[0057] FIGS. 7a and 7b show a longitudinal section of the self-wringing mop respectively in the rest position and in the wringing position.

[0058] FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of the main body of the self-wringing mop where the inner duct of the pole is divided in two.

[0059] FIG. 9 shows a transversal cross section of the minor plunger of the mop shown in FIG. 8.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0060] Now a particular example of a self-wringing mop system according to the invention is disclosed with reference to the attached drawings.

[0061] FIGS. 1a and 1b show the main body (1) of the self-wringing mop comprising an elongated pole (2) along which a cylindrical jacket (3) longitudinally slides. The cylindrical jacket (3) is connected to a minor plunger (31) housed in a watertight manner in an inner duct (21) of the pole, such that when a user holds the cylindrical jacket (3) and displaces it from its retracted position, closest to the holding end of the pole (2), to its advanced position, closest to the end of the pole (2) where the head (6) is located, causes the forwards displacement of the minor plunger (31). The connection between the cylindrical jacket (3) and the minor plunger (31) is implemented by means of a radial rib (32) sliding along a longitudinal slot (22) of the pole (2) when the cylindrical jacket (3) is displaced longitudinally along said pole (2). This configuration is shown in further detail in FIG. 1c, where the radial rib (32) connecting the cylindrical jacket (3) and the minor plunger (31) is shown.

[0062] The lower end of the pole (2) is coupled to an essentially cylindrical bushing (4) and has an inner cylindrical actuation duct (41) whose cross-section is considerably larger than the cross section of the inner duct (21). For example, the cross-section ratio may be of 10:1. As shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b, the inner duct (21) of the pole (2) opens in the actuation duct (41) of the bushing (4), such that both in combination make up a pressure chamber. A major plunger (42) is housed in a watertight manner inside the inner duct (21) such that it can slide downwards therethrough when the user causes the cylindrical jacket (3) to move downwards. Furthermore, a return device, for example a spring (not shown in the figures), is coupled to the major plunger (42) and to the inside of the pressure chamber such that a constant force exerted on said major plunger (42) tends to move it to the retracted position. Therefore, when the user does not exert force on the cylindrical jacket (3), the spring causes both the major plunger (42) and the minor plunger (31), and therefore also the cylindrical jacket (3), to move to their respective retracted positions.

[0063] The lower end of the bushing (4) has an essentially circular flange (43) to which two cams (44) are connected in diametrically opposite positions, where each cam (44) has an elongated shape comprising a base fixed to the flange (43) and a free arm. The connection between the base of each cam (44) and the flange (43) is rotatable along an axis that is essentially tangent to the flange (43), such that the rotation of the cam causes the corresponding arm to move upwards or downwards. Furthermore, the base of each cam (44) has an essentially planar shoulder o rib (45) that protrudes horizontally outwards from the base of the cam (44) when said cam is vertically oriented.

[0064] FIGS. 2a and 2b respectively show a lateral view and a longitudinal view of a self-wringing mop head (6) according to the present invention. As shown, the head (6) has an essentially circular plan shape and has a vertical wall (61). In turn, the upper edge of the vertical wall (61) has a horizontal flange (62) inwardly protruding from said wall (61). The head (6) also has a protrusion (62) protruding at the centre of its upper surface, and designed to engage to a corresponding cavity provided at the lower end surface of the major plunger (4). The coupling between both parts can be carried out, for example, by pressure, threading, or generally speaking any manner allowing for the head (6) to be selectively coupled and uncoupled to the main body (1) of the self-wringing mop.

[0065] The dimensions of the head (6) and the bushing (4) are designed such that, when it is coupled to the major plunger (42) and the major plunger (42) is in the retracted position, the horizontal flange (62) is coupled to the shoulder (45) of the bushing (4) such that the arms of the cams (44) are in a vertical position. When the major plunger (42) is displaced downwards, the lowering of the flange (62) of the head (6) causes a downward vertical force on the shoulder (45) causing the cam (44) to rotate outwards, such that the arms of the cam (44) open for moving from the original vertical position to an inclined position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the self-wringing mop.

[0066] Additionally, as is common in any head of a conventional mop, the head (6) of the invention has a set of strips (63) fixed to its lower surface. The set of strips (63) is formed by a plurality of strips made of an absorbent textile material.

[0067] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a bucket (7) having a wringer (71) that is particularly designed to be used with the self-wringing mop disclosed. Particularly, the wringer (71) is coupled to the upper edge of the bucket (7) and has an essentially conical shape tapering downwards. A particular feature of this wringer (71) is having a horizontal flange (72) protruding inwards from its upper edge.

[0068] FIGS. 4a and 4b show in a simplified manner the operation of the self-wringing mop according to the present invention. In an initial rest position, the cylindrical jacket (3) is in the retracted position, thus causing also the major plunger (42) and the head (6) to be in the retracted position. The shoulders (45) of the cams (44) are coupled to the flange (62) of the vertical wall (61) of the head (6), and therefore the arms of the cams (44) are in the vertical position. When the user actuates the cylindrical jacket (3) by displacing it downwards along the pole (2) of the main body (1) of the self-wringing mop, the corresponding lowering of the minor plunger (31) causes the pressure within the watertight pressure chamber to raise and, therefore, the lowering of the major plunger (42) along the actuation duct (41) is also caused. The head (6), coupled to the lower end of the major plunger (42), is displaced downwards with respect to the bushing (4) and, during said displacement, the interaction between the flange (62) of the head (6) and the shoulders (45) of the cams (44) causes the cams (44) to rotate outwardly. Therefore, the arms of the cams (44) are caused to move from the vertical position to an inclined position. This process is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5a-5c and in FIGS. 7a-7b. This mechanism is different to that disclosed in prior art patent ES2303391, where the major plunger caused the cams to open.

[0069] This configuration has an additional advantage consisting of making the operation of disassembling the head (6) from the lower end of the major plunger (42) easy. Indeed, if starting from the position shown in FIG. 7 where the major plunger (42) is in the upper position, the user pulls manually from the arms of the cams (44) downwardly, the rotation of the cams (44) causes the respective shoulders (45) to exert a downward vertical force on the vertical wall (61) of the head. This force extracts the protrusion (64) from the corresponding cavity of the major plunger (42), such that the head (6) separates from said major plunger (42).

[0070] FIGS. 6a-6c show how the self-wringing mop formed by the combination of the main body (1) and the head (6), by operating in the manner disclosed in the paragraph above, makes the wringing operation easier for the user. In the first place, with the self-wringing mop in the rest position, the user uses the mop in the conventional manner to absorb a liquid present on the floor. Then, as shown in FIG. 6a, the user introduced the lower end of the main body (1) where the head (6) is fixed to the wringer (71). Once inside, the user manually causes the cylindrical jacket (3) to move downwards. This downward movement causes the major plunger (42), and correspondingly the head fixed thereto, to move downwardly. This displacement, as disclosed above, causes the cams (44) to rotate outwardly. When the arms of the cams (44) open, they engage or abut against the horizontal flange (72) of the wringer (71), such that the bushing (4) as a whole abuts against said horizontal flange (72). If the user keeps moving the cylindrical jacket (3) downwardly, the major plunger (42) also moves downwardly and makes the set of strips (63) protruding downwardly from the head (6) to be compressed against the bottom of the wringer (71). The compression does not require the application of a great force by the user, since the bushing (4) firmly abuts against the flange (72) of the wringer (71).

[0071] FIG. 8 shows a particularly preferred embodiment of the pole (2) where the minor plunger (31) is divided into a central plunger (31c) having a circular cross-section and a peripheral plunger (31p) having a cylindrical cross-section. FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of the plunger (31) where the shape of the central plunger (31c) and the peripheral plunger (31p) are more clearly illustrated. Correspondingly, the inner duct (21) of the pole is divided into a central duct (21c) having a circular shape through which the central plunger (31c) slides and a peripheral duct (21p) having a cylindrical shape through which the peripheral plunger (31p) slides. The peripheral duct (21p) is closed at the lower end, and it is in communication with the central duct (21c) through a slotted hole (23) or rectangular orifice made in a lower portion of the wall making up the central duct (21c). Therefore, when the minor plunger (31) is displaced longitudinally downwards, it moves fluid both along the central duct (21c) and the peripheral (21p) duct. The fluid displaced along the peripheral duct (21p) enters the final portion of the central duct (21c) through the slotted hole (23), thereby further increasing the pressure increment generated in the actuation duct (41). The force made by the user on the jacket (3) when carrying out a wringing operation is thereby reduced.