US2975455A - Sponge mopping element for front presser mop - Google Patents

Description

March 21, 1961 N. B. GREENLEAF SPONGE MOPPING ELEMENT FOR FRONT PRESSER MOP Filed Feb. 10. 1958 k rma.

K d v INVENT DR NATHANIEL B. GZNLEAF Nathaniel B. Greenleaf, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Sponge Products Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Feb. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 714,255

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-244) This invention relates to improvements in sponge mops of the type having a presser plate hinged to the front edge thereof, and more particularly to sponge elements or refills for such mops.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sponge which will be shaped for both optimum cleaning and wringing action in a front presser mop.

Another object is to provide such a sponge shape which will have increased sponge volume over conventional bevelled sponges for increased liquid absorption in the mopping of floors and the like.

Still another object is to provide a sponge as aforesaid which can be economically manufactured without waste and which will exhibit maximum wear resistance.

According to the invention the sponge of the refill is in' the form of an elongated sponge block having, in cross section, substantially the form of a parallelogram with the front face making an acute angle with the bottom working face and an obtuse angle with the top backing receiving face.

More particularly according to the invention the acute angle defined between the front face and the bottom face is an angle of approximately 70.

Another important feature resides in cutting the sponge so that the parallel top and bottom faces are substantially perpendicular to the grain of the sponge.

Still another feature resides in providing a sponge dimension so that the sponge thickness is approximately one half the fore and aft dimension of the sponge which relationship in conjunction with the angled shape augments the wringing action.

In the completed sponge refill the backing receiving face of the sponge block has applied thereto a backing comprising a rigid plate substantially coextensive with the backing receiving face and carrying attaching means for attaching the sponge to a backing plate, the arrangement being such that on attachment to a mop head the sponge is adapted to be disposed so that the bottom front longitudinal edge projects forwardly of the front edge of the backing plate and mop head and the bottom rear longitudinal edges projects forwardly of the longitudinal rear edge of the backing plate whereby a single hinge connected front presser plate is adapted to gather in and fully and completely compress the sponge against the backing plate and/or mop head.

These and other objects and features will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is an end elevational view partly broken away of a block of sponge showing the manner in which it is cut to provide the desired ultimate shape in the sponge refill;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sponge mopping element or refill constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevational View showing the relationship of the sponge on a front presser mop, the presser United States I atent D 2 being shown in full in its non-wringing position and being shown in dotted lines at an intermediate position to gather in and wring the sponge;

Figure 4 is a view illustrating the manner in which the sponge of the refill is gathered in as wringing is carried out by the presser plate as seen from the end of the refill;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the gathering in of the sponge as the wringing is continued towards the final wringing position.

According to the invention the sponge material which may be rubber, cellulose or other synthetic material such as polyurethane is cut to form elongated blocks which in end elevation or cross section are in the form of a parallelogram having a bottom face 2, an. upper backing receiving face 3, a front face 4 and a rear face 5. According to the invention the bottom face 2 and backing receiving face 3 are substantially parallel as are the front and rear faces 4 and 5, and the front and rear faces are sloped with respect to the faces 2 and 3, so that the front face 4 defines with the bottom face 2 an angle a which is an acute angle, preferably of the order of 70, while the rear face 5 forms with the bottom face 2 an obtuse angle b of the order of Preferably the vertical height of the sponge between the faces '2 and 3 is approximately one half the dimension of the sponge between the front and rear faces 4 and 5, respectively.

A suitable backing, generally designated at 6, is applied to the backing face 3 and this may comprise a. plate 7 having downturned edges 8 and raised ribs 9 for stiffening, the plate being secured to the sponge by a layer of adhesive 10. The plate is provided with suitable screw threaded attaching means 11 in the form of screws or threadedposts and the composite unit formed by the sponge block 1. and backing 6, hereinafter termed a sponge mopping element or sponge refill is adapted to be secured to a head plate 12 of a mop 13 by means, for instance, of wing nuts 14 which engage the screws 11 which are arranged to project through suitable registering openings in the head plate 12.

As illustrated, the mop 13 carries a presser plate 15 hinged at 16 to the front edge of the mop head and this presser plate is adapted to follow the path illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 in the compressing of the sponge to effect its wringing. It will be noted that with the shape of the sponge specified the longitudinally extending front corner 17, at which the angle a is defined, projects forwardly of the front edge of the mop head 12 while the rear longitudinal corner 18 at which the angle 1) is defined projects at least to beneath and preferably forwardly of the rear edge 19 of the backing plate 7 which forms a rigid rearward extension of the mop head 12.

The merits of the particular sponge shape will be understood from the discussion of Figures 4 and 5 when the sponge is used in conjunction with a front presser mop.

As illustrated, when the presser plate 15 is swung in the wringing action, the forwardly projecting portion of the sponge defining the angle a is first, displaced rearwardly and downwardly to provide a point of sponge compression as indicated at 20 in Figure 4 which is the effect of the compression of this forward mass of sponge as it folds up towards the rigid sponge backing plate 7 and rigid reinforcing mop head 12. This action of compression of the sponge at the point 20 acts to draw in the rear corner of the sponge so that the rear edge 18 is moved forwardly. This forward movement augments the natural position of the sponge by virtue of its sloped rear face 5 to locate the corner 18 at this point in the wringing well forward of the rear edge 19 of the backing so that as the presser plate is swung further to the position of Figure 5,the bulk of the sponge at the rear is compressed between the rigid backing plate 7 and the rigid presser plate 15. Thus, in moving from the position of Figure 4 to the position of Figure 5, the rear edge '18 of the sponge is adequately wrung.

As shown in Figure 5 this action gathers in the rear portion of the sponge into a highly compacted mass which is essentially folded on itself as indicated at 21.

Thus, by virtue of its shape, augmented by its proportion, the sponge disclosed enables through the use of a single hinge connected presser plate 15, a thorough wringing of the sponge with high compression throughout as the presser plate moves from its non-wringing position of Figure 3 to the position of Figure 5.

As illustrated, the presser plate is provided with a suitable handle 22 having an opening 23 for engagement with a locating spring 24.

As shown in the drawings the sponge has, in effect, a grain, with this grain being arranged so that it runs substantially perpendicular to the bottom face 2 as indicated by the vertical grain lines 25. With this arrangement the exposed working surface formed by the bottom face 3 affords maximum resistance to the scrubbing action to which the sponge is subjected in mopping.

It will be understood that the backing construction may vary as desired and may be secured in different manners as desired and the details of the mop construction may be changed as desired as the mop is for illustrative purposes of the functioning of the sponge only.

Other modifications in the actual size and slight changes in the proportion and details may be made within the spirit of the invention as the disclosure herein is given of the preferred embodiment of the invention for purposes of illustrating the invention.

What I claim is:

1. -A sponge mopping element comprising an elongated sponge block having in cross section the configuration of a parallelogram presenting a bottom working face, a parallel backing receiving face, and parallel forwardly sloping front and rear faces, said sponge block having a grain structure oriented so that the sponge grain extends perpendicular to said parallel bottom working and backing receiving faces, said sloping front face defining with said bottom working face an acutely angled corner, and said sloping rear face defining with said bottom working face an obtusely angled corner, and a backing comprising a rigid plate of smaller area than said backing receiving face and presenting longitudinal front and rear edges, said plate being secured substantially centrally of said backing receiving face, the arrangement being such that the rear longitudinal plate edge is disposed forwardly of the rear edge of said backing receiving face to lie in substantial alignment with the line of sponge grain running perpendicular to the said parallel backing receiving and working sponge faces and intersecting said obtusely angled corner defined by said rear and bottom working faces, the longitudinal front edge of said plate lying rearwardly of the front edge of said backing receiving face a distance substantially equal to the distance that the longitudinal rear edge of said plate is forward of the rear edge of said backing receiving face.

2. A sponge element as claimed in claim 1 in which said acutely angled corner defined by said front and bottom working faces comprises a corner having an angle of substantially 3. A sponge element as claimed in claim 1 in which a flexible backing is provided to overlie substantially the entire sponge element backing receiving face to reinforce the backing receiving sponge face areas beyond said rigid plate in a plane perpendicular to said grain orientation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,165,319 Vaughn Jul 11, 1939 2,298,320 Vaughn Oct. 13, .1942 2,540,768 Vaughn Feb. 6, 1951 2,731,658 Miller Jan. 24, 1956 2,774,091 Greenleaf Dec. 18, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 68,140 France Oct. 28, 1957 (Addition to No. 1,097,173) 485,587 Canada Aug. 12, 1952 1,134,090 France Nov. 26, 1956

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