AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Applicant(s): SABCO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ACN 108 341 911 Actual Inventor(s): Teneille Schoupp Emily Townsing Address for Service: PATENT ATTORNEY SERVICES 26 Ellingworth Parade Box Hill Victoria 3128 Australia Title: MOP HEAD WITH SCRUBBING ELEMENT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including thc best method of performing it known to me/us.
I
MOP HEAD WITH SCRUBBING ELEMENT Field of the Invention The present application relates to mops, and in particular, to a mop having a scrubbing element attached thereto. 5 Background of the Invention Cleaning implements, such as mops, are useful for cleaning surfaces such as floors and the like. Wet mops are typically used to clean floors and comprise a head element housing an absorbent material, such as cotton strings, sponge, etc. The 10 absorbent material is pushed across the surface to be cleaned applying a gentle cleaning action to the surface in the process. The absorbent material acts to absorb any liquid present on the floor and is also able to be placed in a cleaning liquid, such as a detergent or the like, to apply such a liquid to the floor surface for cleaning. Whilst conventional wet mops have been developed to absorb liquid from a 15 surface and/or to apply liquid to a surface so as to wash the surface, they have typically been poor at cleaning ingrained soiled surfaces. Similarly, traditional wet mops have been unsuited to removing scuff marks and other such surface marks that require a more abrasive cleaning action. To address this problem, some wet mops have been adapted to carry or 20 otherwise facilitate attachment of a brush or abrasive element. The brush or abrasive element can then be used by the user of the mop to scrub a particular region of the floor having ingrained stains or marks formed thereon to remove such stains. Many proposed mops with combined scrubbing arrangements employ permanently attached scrubbing arrangements that wear and lose their effectiveness 25 after prolonged periods of use. Those mops that employ replaceable scrubbing arrangements often also employ complicated fasteners and the like to attach the scrubbing arrangement to the mop. In many cases, the mop head has to be retracted or otherwise disabled to utilise the scrubbing arrangement, requiring a separate orientation or manipulation of the mop to perform the scrubbing function. In some instances, the 30 mop functions in two separate operation modes with little interaction between the mopping function and the scrubbing function. Thus, there is a need to provide a mop that has an ability to function as both a conventional wet mop and a scrubbing element during use of the mop and which enables the scrubbing element to be readily replaced when required. 2 Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a Context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the 5 field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mop for 10 cleaning a surface comprising: an elongate handle; a ferrule connectable to a distal end of the elongate handle, said ferrule comprisng one or more absorbent members adaptable to be moved across the surface for cleaning and a mounting element projecting therefrom; and 15 a scrubbing element detachably mountable to said mounting element so as to be orientated towards the surface during use of the mop, said scrubbing element comprising at least one abrasive surface for applying an abrasive cleaning force to the surface. In an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting element comprises one 20 or more arms that project from the ferrule. The one or more arms may extend at least partially along an end or side of the ferrule. The one or more arms may project angularly from the ferrule such that the scrubbing element is orientated at an angle towards the surface during use of the mop. The scrubbing element may be slidingly received over the one or more arms so 25 as to be securable to the ferrule. The scrubbing element may comprise at least two fingers that extend about the one or more arms to facilitate attachment thereto. The scrubbing element may further comprise a pad and the at least one abrasive surface may be provided on the pad. In this regard, upon deterioration of the pad the scrubbing clement may be slidingly detached from the ferrule and replaced. 30 The ferrule may be detachably connected to distal end of the handle. The distal end of the handle may comprise a thread that engages with an internal thread provided in the ferrule to facilitate connection therebetween. The internal thread may be provided in a collar provided on a surface of the ferrule. In this regard, the ferrule may be replaced where necessary. 35 The scrubbing element may be utilised by tilting the mop during use such that the at least one abrasive surface of the scrubbing clement is brought into contact with 3 the surface. A user can then apply a downward force to the handle to provide the abrasive cleaning force to the surface to facilitate the removal of ingrained stains. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ferrule for a mop comprising: 5 a body connectable to a handle of the mop; one or more absorbent members attachable to said body so as to be extendable from the body; and a mounting element formed on the body for removably receiving a scrubbing attachment; 10 wherein, the mounting clement is configured such that the scrubbing element is located adjacent the one or more absorbent members such that during use of the mop the scrubbing attachment can be employed to apply an abrasive cleaning force to a surface without significantly altering the orientation of the mop. In one embodiment of this aspect, the handle is removably received within a 15 recess formed in the body. In another embodiment of this aspect, the one or more absorbent members may comprise a plurality of absorbent strings or strands that extend from the body during use of the mop to apply moisture to and/or remove moisture from the surface. Alternatively, the one or more absorbent members may comprise one or more pieces of 20 sponge. The mounting element may be formed to extend at least partially along an edge or side of the body. The mounting element may comprise one or more arms that project from the body so as to be angled towards the surface during use of the mop. The scrubbing attachment may be configured to be slidingly received over the one or 25 more arms so as to facilitate attachment to the body. The scrubbing attachment may comprise a pad and at least one abrasive surface is provided on the pad for applying the abrasive cleaning force to the surface. Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated 30 element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, the invention is now described with, reference to the 35 accompanying drawings: 4 FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a head region of a mop in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mop head of FIG. 2 in isolation; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a scrubbing element for use 5 with the mop of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 is a side view of the mop of FIG. 1 in use. Detailed Description of an Exemplary Embodiment of the Invention The present invention is described below in relation to a wet mop 10. It will be 10 appreciated that the present invention is also applicable to a variety of different types of mops, including dry mops. The present invention is also applicable to wet mops employing a variety of absorption means, including absorbent strings or strands (as is shown in the embodiment depicted), as well as absorbent sponge elements, that are also well known in the art. It will also be appreciated that the mop 10 of the present 15 invention may also employ wringing mechanisms and other such mechanisms to aid in ridding the absorbent members of moisture during use of the mop 10. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, mop 10 comprises a handle 12 that is connected at a distal end to a ferrule 14. The handle 12 is in the form of an elongate post or pole made from wood, metal or plastic that can be readily gripped by a user to move the 20 ferrule 14 across a surface, such as a floor surface or the like. The distal end of the handle 12 is securely received within a collar 13 provided on a surface of the ferrule 14. To facilitate secure attachment between the handle 12 and the collar 13, the distal end of the handle 12 has a thread formed thereon that engages with an internal thread provided in the collar 13. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other 25 systems of securely attaching the end of the handle 12 to the ferrule 14 may also be employed. The ferrule 14 is configured such that a plurality of absorbent members 16 extend from an underside thereof. During use of the mop 10, the absorbent members 16 function as cleaning members to absorb and dispense liquid across the surface to be 30 cleaned as required. In the embodiment as shown, the absorbent members 16 are in the form of absorbent cotton strings. However, as previously discussed, tie absorbent members 16 may take a variety of forms, and in one embodiment, may be in the form of one or more pieces of sponge attached to the underside of the ferrule 14. As shown in FIGS. I and 2, the absorbent members 16 are bundled together and 35 attached to the ferrule 14 by way of rings 15. The rings 15 extend through holes 17 formed through the ferrule 14 and act to secure the absorbent members 16 in position. 5 In this arrangement, the absorbent members 16 can be easily manipulated by the user of the mop 10 to pass over the surface to be cleaned, as is shown in FIG. 4. The ferrule 14 and the absorbent members 16 form the head of the mop 10 which is able to function as a conventional wet mop. 5 Referring to FIG. 2, one end of the ferrule 14 has a mounting element 20 formed thereon. The mounting element 20 comprises one or more arms 21 that project from tbe ferrule 14. The arms 21 project at an angle directed towards the underside of the ferrule 14 and extend across an end of the ferrule 14. It will be appreciated that the arms 21 may extend either fully or partially along an end or a side of the ferrule 14 at a 10 variety of angles and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. As is shown in FIG. 3, scrubbing element 25 is mounted to the mounting element 20 in the manner as shown in FIG. 1. The scrubbing element 25 comprises a pad 28 having an abrasive surface 29. The pad 28 is mounted on a backing plate 26 by way of an adhesive or the like. The backing plate 26 has a pair of fingers 27 projecting 15 therefrom. The fingers 27 are configured to define a space 24 therebetween that is accessed by way of a narrow opening 23. As is shown, the fingers 27 are continuous and extend the length of the pad 28, however, it will be appreciated that the fingers 27 need not be continuous and a number of fingers may be provided along the length of the backing plate 26. 20 Referring to FIG. 1, the scrubbing element 25 is mounted to the arms 21 of the ferrule 14. The arms 21 are shaped to be snugly received within the space 24 'formed between the fingers 27. In this regard, the arms 21 are shaped to complement the shape of the space 24 and opening 23 such that the scrubbing element 25 is slidingly received over the arms 21 and retained in position by way of an interference fit. The fingers 27 25 are substantially rigid to grip the arms 21, however, the fingers 27 also have a degree of resilience to enable the scrubbing element 25 to be removed from the ferrule 14, when required. Due to the angled projection of the arms 21, when attached to the ferrule 14, the scrubbing element 25 is orientated in a downwardly angled manner with respect to the 30 ferrule. Such an arrangement enables a user of the mop to easily use the scrubbing element 25 by merely tilting the mop 10 in the manner as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the user is able to apply a downward force to the scrubbing element 25 such that the abrasive surface 29 of the scrubbing clement can apply an abrasive action to the surface being cleaned to aid in the removal of ingrained dirt or stains therefrom. 35 As can be seen in FIG. 4, during use of the scrubbing element 25 the absorbent members 16 of the mop 10 are still present and are able to trail behind the scrubbing 6 element 25 to assist in the cleaning process. In this regard, the user of the mop 10 can utilise the close proximity of the absorbent members 16 to apply cleaning fluid to the ingrained dirt or stain, and does not have to significantly alter their mopping action to utilise the scrubbing element 25. Further, the user does not have to physically retract or 5 remove the absorbent members 16 prior to using the scrubbing element 25. It will be appreciated that the pad 28 of the scrubbing element 25 may be made of an abrasive material, such as a scouring pad, or may be a combination of an abrasive material and a sponge material to aid in the cleaning process. In the event that the abrasive surface 29 of the scrubbing element 25 becomes worn and loses its abrasive 10 characteristics, the scrubbing element 25 can be readily replaced by slidingly disengaging the scrubbing element 25 from the ferrule 14 and attaching a replacement It will also be appreciated that should the absorbent elements 16 of the mop 10 become ineffective in their cleaning action, the ferrule 14 can also be readily replaced by unscrewing the ferrule 14 from the handle 12 and attaching a replacement. 15 The present provides a simple arrangement for a mop having an ability to provide a scrubbing function to remove ingrained stains and marks from a surface. The ferrule of the mop is configured to receive a scrubbing element that is orientated in a manner that enables the scrubbing element to be readily employed during the mopping action. As both the ferrule and the scrubbing element are detachable from the mop, 20 they can be replaced where necessary. It will also be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as 25 illustrative and not restrictive. 7