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CA2004919C - Mop - Google Patents

Mop

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Publication number
CA2004919C
CA2004919C CA 2004919 CA2004919A CA2004919C CA 2004919 C CA2004919 C CA 2004919C CA 2004919 CA2004919 CA 2004919 CA 2004919 A CA2004919 A CA 2004919A CA 2004919 C CA2004919 C CA 2004919C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
mop
sponge
support member
base
handle
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.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 2004919
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2004919A1 (en
Inventor
Barbara A. St. Cyer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TU EZZI PRODUCTS Ltd
Original Assignee
TU EZZI PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TU EZZI PRODUCTS Ltd filed Critical TU EZZI PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority to CA 2004919 priority Critical patent/CA2004919C/en
Publication of CA2004919A1 publication Critical patent/CA2004919A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2004919C publication Critical patent/CA2004919C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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  • Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)

Abstract

A mop comprising a support member comprising a hollow body, open at its top, and having ends, sides and a base. There is a clamping member comprising a hollow body, having an open base and having ends, sides and a top, and being dimensioned to fit within the support member with a predetermined peripheral clearance between the two members.
A socket is attached to the exterior of the top of the clamping member to receive a handle. The mop also includes a compressible, absorbent sponge comprising a body having a top and flat ends with a recess formed in the top of the sponge to receive the support member. The support member is located within the recess and the clamping member pressed into the support member to compress the sponge between the exterior of the clamping member and the interior of the support member to locate the sponge.

Description

~01~63~ ~3 "., , 4712~-3 This invention relates to a mop, particularly a mop use~ul in the cleaning of tubs. The mop of the present invention comprises an improved version of -the ~op described in applicant's Canadiarl patent No. 1~224rO05~

Typically, in cleaning a tub, a cleaner is either applied to a hand-sponge or the tub and khe person doing -the cleaning then kneels by the tub and ~oves the sponge, with 'the cleaner, over the ~urface of the tub. Swch work can be hard, especially for anyone with back problems or for the elderly or invalid. A number of suggestions have been made to provide improved sponges but still the most common way of cleaning a tub is the traditional way outlined above.

~ The specific prior art kno~n to applicant inc~ludes United~States patent~ 3,214,779 to Wheeler; 3iO90,985 to Bau~;~ 3,039,126 to Kessler; 2,983,944 to Uselis; 2,733,467 to Garro; 4,099i289 to Bretthauer; 3,875,609 to Wells; 3,274,635 to Myers;~ 3,161~,90~5~to Pryden; 2,880,443 to Le Febvre; and 929,860~to Kelth and U~.S. Design patent 159,243 to Atwood.

~0 ~ ~ ~ However it is beli~eved that all of the above prior - ~ art~has~the disadvantage of relative complexity and less than idea~l ùse~.' The~two most pertinent patents are those to Wheeler and~ aum. Of these Wheeler has a universal '" ',, :. , ' , .

acljustment joint tha-t comprises a relatively large num~er of parts. Similarly the Baum mop is of relative complexity and also has the disadvantage of a relatively thin sponge, In applicant's Canadiarl patent 1,224,005, applicant provided a mop -that overcomes many o~ the disadvan-tages of the prior art. The present invention c~mprises a modified version of this spongè mop that can be used, partlcularly in cleaning a tub, by one person standing at one position. That is, it is not even necessary for the person doing the cleaning to move his or her position by the side of -the .tub.
Furthermore the construction is such -that there is no prospect of scratching and the large volume of the sponye and the ease wlth which it can conform to the lnner contours of the tub is an advantage. The mop of the present invention is also extremely simple in~struct~re.

Accordingly the present invention provides a mop comprising a support member comprising a hollow body, open at its top, and having ends, sides and a base, a clamping member comprislng a hollow bodv having an open base and having ends, ~Q sides and a top, and being dimensioned to fit within the support ~ember with a predetermined peripheral clearance between the two members, a socket attached to -the exterior of the top of the locking member to receive a handle, a compressible, absorbént sponge comprising a body having a -top and flat ends wlth a reces~ ~ormed in the top, whereby the support member may be located in the recess in the sponge and :
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the clamping member pressed :Lnto the support member to compress the sponge between the exterior of the clamping membe~ and the interior of the support member to locate -the sponge.

Aspects of the invention are illustrated, merel~ by way of exampler in the accompanying drawings in wh.ich:
Figure 1 is a general view of a mop according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the mop of F1gure 1;
Figure 3 is a detailed view of khe support and clamping members of the mop;
Figure 4 i= a general~vlew of a further embodiment of the present invention; and :
F~igure 5 is an end elevation, partially in section, of the mop in Figure 4.
Figures 1 to 3 show a mop comprising a support member 2 that is a hollow~body? open at its top 4 and having ends 6, sides 8 and a base 10. There are openings 12 in the ~0 base 10 of the support member 2. As best shown in Figure 3, the perimeter:of the open top 4 is~formed with a plurality of ~:
:
short, spaced gripping teeth 40 extending:inwardly into the interior of~the;hollow body of support member 2. :

Figure 3:also~shows~clamping member 42 which comprises a~hol~low~body having an open base 41 with ends 44, ~ sides 46 and~top;49.: Clamping mémber ~2 is shaped to fit :

~: . , .. : : ~ , ~0~3~9~3 within the interior of support memher ~ with a prede-terminecl clearance 35 a-t -the periphery. Clamping member 42 is also formed with a plurali-ty of short gripping teeth 40 about its open base 41. These teeth are spaced to fit between an identical set of teeth 40 formed on the base 10 of support member 2. Clamping member 42 is removably attached within the interior of support member 2 by ~crew ~asteners 43 that extend through holes in the clamping member 42 for threaded engagement in housings 45 that extend upwardly ~rom -the base of the support member. Preferably, screw fasteners 43 are sealed using sealing members 47. In addition, caps 48 can be attached over fasteners 43 in order to further seal the fasteners.

A socket 14 extends from clamping member 42 to :
receive a handle 16. That handle, in the illustrated pre~erxed embodiment, comprises a plurality of sections 18, each about a foot in length, each able to attach to a neighbouring section. At~its top the handle 16 curved and formed with a grip 20. The handle also inc1udes a bumper or buffer 22, movable along the handle 16, to contact the~
uppe~rmost sides of a tub and thus prevent scratching of the bath when the mop is in u~e. In the illus-trated embodiment, socket 14 is shown extending from -the clamping member~at rlght angles, however, as shown~ln Figures~4 and S the socket ~5 oan formed~at~an inclined angle to the clamping member, and grip~20 of handle 16 can be formed at an appropriate angle to , ~ ~ 4 -. - : ~
-: :

create a comfor~able gr:ippinq posi-tion Eor the user of the mop.

The mop of -the present e~bodiment wses a compressible, absorbent sponge 26. Sponge 26 has a flat top 28, with a recess 30 to receive the support member 2 and flat ends 32. The sponge body curves longi-tudinally outwardly -to its middle from each end 32 and has a convex front, rear and base. Recess 30 can also be a longitudinal slit communicating with opposed transverse internal slits extending outwardly from the longitudinal slit to receive support member 2.

The mop is constructed simply by placlng the sponge 26 over the support member 2; relatively slight distortion of the sponge is sufficient~to~obtain the necessary position.
As best shown,~ in Fi~ure 2,~ the edges 50 of recess 30 are folded into the interior of support member 2, and clamping member 42 is~;inserted over top of these edges. By tightening screw fasteners 43~into housings 45, the clamping member 42 acts to compress and clamp the edges of the sponge within the interior of the~support member.~ The plurality of gripping :
teeth 40 also~act to en0age the sponge material to prevent slippage o~ thè sponge. Figure 1 shows the~mop in its :
assemblèd state. ~The lengths 18 o~ h~ndle 16 ar~ used ;~ depending on~the helgh~t~of the~person using the sponge. The ~5 m~p is then ~ ready~;to use~

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--0~ 3 Typically a liquicl c~ke, OK powder de-tergen~ may be placed in the interior of suppor~ member 2 and allowed to percolate into the sponge 26 through openingg 12 in the base.
The sponge 26 may then be moved around the tub ~or cleaning.
Because of its shape and becaus~ o~ the l~rge volume of -the sponge 26 the sponge can easily conform to all the shapes o~
a tub. Furthermore, because of the handle -the tub can be cleaned by one person standing at one place.

To clean the mop after use it is simply pressed against the tub and the water is expressed in a conventional manner. The present invention allows sponge 26 to be changed quickly and easily, if desired, by removing clamping member 42 and fitting the support member into a new sponge.
Alternatively, handle 16 can be removed from socket 14 and the handle replaced into a socket of a completely new sponge :: ' ; ~mop head wlth elamping member 42 and support member 2 already ' in place.

.
Figures 4 and 5 show a further embodiment: of the lnv~ention ~hat does not use gripping teeth 40 or screw fasteners 43. The embodiment has a support member 102 comprising a hollow bod~, open at its top 104 and having ends 106, sldes~108 and a base llO. There is a clamping member 112 comprl~}ng a hollow body having an open base 114 and ~having ènds 116, sides 118 and a top 120. As in the previou~
25 ~ ~ embodiment,~clamping member 112 is dimensioned to fit w:ithin the;support member 102 with a predetermined clearance 115 at ~ 6 -'' '~ , ' ~ " ' the periphery, a~ shown in E':igure 5. As :in -the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 there is a ~ocket 14, attached to -the exterior of the base 12() of the locking member 112. ~ in -the previous embodiment ~he socke-t receives a handle, ex-tendirlg away from -the base 120. The handle as shown :in Figures 1 to 3 is appropriate. Although no-t shown the protective buffer 22 may also be u~ed with the handle.

There is a compressible, absorbent sponge 126, which may be precisely the same composition as sponge 26 of Figures 1 to 3. Sponge 126 has a top 128 and flat ends 132 There is a longitudinal slit 134 formed in the sponge 126.
Opposed transverse slits 136 then extend outwardly from the longitudinal slit 134. These slits may be small but, as shown generally~ particularly in Figure 5 expand when the sponge i9 in its useful position. The arrangement lS such that the support member 102 may be located in the sponge 126 and the locking member 112 then pressed into the support member 102 to compress the sponge 126 between the exterior of the~locking membèr 112 and the interlor of the sup~port member 102 to locate the sponge 126 by friction. The arrangement is shown i~ Figure 5.

The mop of the present invention lS useful with conventional SlZe tubs, large tubs or oval tubs. Ho-t tubs can also be cleaned using the mop of the present invention.
The~differences in dimension~ can ea~ily be accommodated ~ : :
simply by adding extra length~ 18 to the handle 16. Such " : : : :

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lengths can be added either by providing a snap-on fit Eor the adjoining sections 18 of the handle or, of course, having screw threads at each end of each section.

The handle, support member and clamping member may be made of relatively rigid plastic. The handle may be of rigid plastic, aluminum, reinforced plastic or treated wood.
The sponge is of conventional material, for example a polyurethane sponge can be used~ The base of the sponges 26 and 126 should always be convex but the ends 32 and L32 respectively and top 2a and 128 respectively may be flat.
The handle 16 can also be formed as a one piece unit of metal, aluminum, plastic, fibreglass or any alloys thereof.
~he handle 16 could also be made telescopic comprising 2 tubular lengths applied to one another through friction and , held in place by plastic;fittings or the like.

:: ~: : : :
- The mop of the~present invention is of extremely simple construction~, there being no moving parts.;

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-

Claims (11)

1. A mop comprising:
a support member comprising a hollow body, open at its top, and having ends, sides and a base;
a clamping member comprising a hollow body having an open base and having ends, sides and a top, and being dimensioned to fit within the support member with a predetermined peripheral clearance between the two members;
a socket attached to the exterior of the top of the locking member to receive a handle;
a compressible, absorbent sponge comprising a body having a top and flat ends with a recess formed in the top;
whereby the support member may be located in said recess in said sponge and the clamping member pressed into the support member to compress the sponge between the exterior of the clamping member and the interior of the support member to locate the sponge.
2. A mop as claimed in claim 1 in which the sponge also has a convex front and rear surface.
3. A mop as claimed in claim 1 including a plurality of gripping teeth formed about the perimeter of said open top of said support member and about the perimeter of said open base of said clamping member for engaging said sponge to prevent slippage.
4. A mop as claimed in claim 1 in which the base of said support member is formed with gripping teeth.
5. A mop as claimed in claim 1 including fastening means for securing said clamping member to said support member.
6. A mop as claimed in claim 5 in which said fastening means comprises threaded screw fasteners extending through said clamping member for engagement in housings formed in the base of said support member.
7. A mop as claimed in claim 6 having sealing members about said screw fasteners.
8. A mop as claimed in claim l in which there are openings in the base of the support member whereby a liquid cleaner, cake or powder can be placed in the support member to penetrate the sponge.
9. A mop as claimed in claim 1 including a handle comprising a plurality of lengths, each adapted to attach to another length.
10. A mop as claimed in claim 1 having a soft sleeve on the handle to prevent the handle damaging the surface against which it is knocked.
11. A mop as claimed in claim 1 in which said recess in said sponge comprises a longitudinal slit in the sponge with opposed transverse slits extending outwardly from beneath the longitudinal slit.
CA 2004919 1989-12-07 1989-12-07 Mop Expired - Fee Related CA2004919C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2004919 CA2004919C (en) 1989-12-07 1989-12-07 Mop

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2004919 CA2004919C (en) 1989-12-07 1989-12-07 Mop

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2004919A1 CA2004919A1 (en) 1991-06-07
CA2004919C true CA2004919C (en) 1999-06-01

Family

ID=4143747

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2004919 Expired - Fee Related CA2004919C (en) 1989-12-07 1989-12-07 Mop

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2004919C (en)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2004919A1 (en) 1991-06-07

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