EP0494021A1 - Hinged sponge mob - Google Patents

Abstract

The sponge mop comprises, in order to form a frame (7) for a sponge (8), two lateral wings (13, 14) pivoting on a central support (15) connected to a handle (1) tilted upwards and rearwards, these wings interacting, on the one hand, with at least one elastic member (18) tending to bring them back into a substantially aligned sponging position and, on the other hand, with a pusher device which is guided with respect to the mop and whose branches (9, 10) are capable, when it is moved, of bringing the wings of the frame closer to one another, towards a drying position in which the sponge is squeezed. According to the invention, the bent end of the handle (1) is extended by a journal (6) mounted rotatably and immobilised in translation in a sleeve (19) integral with the central support (15) of the frame (7) and the pusher device is a slide (3) guided in translation along the handle. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a sponge mop.

Such a broom is described in French Patent No. 2,302,710. It comprises, in order to constitute a frame for a spongy layer, such as a sponge, two lateral wings pivoting on a median support connected, in the anteroposterior plane, to a handle inclined upwards and backwards, these wings cooperating on the one hand, with at least one elastic member tending to bring them back into a substantially aligned sponge position on the other hand, with a pusher guided relative to the brush and whose branches are capable, when it is moved, of bringing together the wings of the frame from one another to a wringing position in which the sponge layer is compressed.

In this known brush, the pusher is of the pivoting type and comprises the two aforementioned branches which, at their end opposite to that of which the cam-shaped edge bears on the corresponding wing of the frame, are connected together by a pivotally mounted axis. in a split sleeve of the middle support of the frame, this axis extending orthogonally to the handle. Said branches are extended in an oblique direction by those of a handle which, in the sponging position, covers the handle and, in the wringing position, projects forward.

This handle is difficult to maneuver in the air over a bucket and anyway, it is a tiring operation and it is practically inevitable that the spin water sometimes falls out of the bucket.

In addition, the sponge mount is not orientable relative to the handle, so that it is not possible to sponge under furniture and in corners. Besides, the handle is so bulky that it would oppose such an operation.

Furthermore, this known sponge mop of this type or any other inclined handle, does not scrape the ground, without letting go of the handle and without bending down, if during sponging dirt remains.

Finally, changing the sponge or other sponge layer is a long and delicate operation.

• de maîtriser l'orientation de la monture porte-éponge relativement au manche en se servant de celui-ci même si son inclinaison se modifie au cours de la manoeuvre, ce qui permet d'éponger facilement sous les meubles et dans les coins.
• concomitamment, de gratter le sol en manoeuvrant directement avec le manche,
• de rendre l'essorage de l'éponge, plus commode et moins fatigant,
• de faciliter le changement de l'éponge.

The aim of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and in particular:

• to control the orientation of the sponge holder frame relative to the handle by using it even if its inclination changes during the maneuver, which allows to easily sponge under furniture and in corners.
• concomitantly, to scrape the ground by maneuvering directly with the handle,
• make spinning the sponge more convenient and less tiring,
• to facilitate the change of the sponge.

To this end, the present invention implements the known combination of means according to which the sponge mop comprises, in order to constitute a frame for a sponge layer such as a sponge, two lateral wings pivoting around at least one antero axis -posterior and connected to a handle inclined upwards and backwards, these wings cooperating with a pusher guided relative to the broom and the branches of which are capable, when it is moved, of bringing the wings of the frame one of the other towards a wringing position in which the sponge layer is compressed.

• en ce que l'extrémité coudée du manche est prolongée par un tourillon monté tournant et immobilisé en translation dans un manchon faisant corps de la monture,
• et en ce qu'un grattoir est monté en bout du tourillon du manche et s'étend près de la face antérieure de la monture et à proximité de celle-ci, de façon que, par rotation du manche autour de son axe, on mette en contact du sol, soit la surface spongieuse soit le grattoir.

She resides:

• in that the bent end of the handle is extended by a journal mounted to rotate and immobilized in translation in a sleeve forming part of the frame,
• and in that a scraper is mounted at the end of the pin of the handle and extends near the front face of the frame and close to it, so that, by rotation of the handle around its axis, we put in contact with the ground, either the spongy surface or the scraper.

Advantageously, the journal of the bent end of the handle is extended by elastically deformable jaws and housed in the sleeve of the frame, which sleeve is interposed between raised ends of the jaws and a shoulder of said pin; the scraper comprises a pad fixed on a plate forming a body with a profiled finger capable of being fitted between the jaws of the end pin of the handle.

• en ce que les ailes de la monture sont montées pivotantes sur un support médian faisant corps avec le manchon et assujetties à au moins un organe élastique tendant à les ramener en position sensiblement alignée d'épongeage,
• et en ce que le poussoir est un coulisseau tubulaire guidé en translation le long du manche jusqu'à une butée supérieure et immobilisé en rotation autour dudit manche, ce coulisseau tubulaire faisant corps avec deux branches inférieures s'étendant de part et d'autre dudit manchon.

As regards more precisely the spinning of the sponge, the invention resides:

• in that the wings of the frame are pivotally mounted on a median support integral with the sleeve and subject to at least one elastic member tending to bring them back into a substantially aligned sponge position,
• and in that the pusher is a tubular slide guided in translation along the handle to an upper stop and immobilized in rotation around said handle, this tubular slide being integral with two lower branches extending on either side of said muff.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the sleeve of the median support is equipped with lateral stops extending above the wings of the frame to define their aligned sponge position; the lateral stops form a body with an independent cover, fitting onto the sleeve and made prisoner of the latter; perforated end walls of the cover resting on the median support of the frame are threaded onto the pin and the jaws of the handle and are interposed between the sleeve and, for one, the shoulder of the pin, for the other, the ends jaw readings.

Of course, the sponge layer must be interchangeable to be replaced by a new one when it is worn.

To this end and according to the invention, the spongy layer forms a body with two rigid plates intended to be applied against the wings of the frame and to be fixed thereto by removable means.

The means of fixing each plate supporting the spongy layer consist of two hook-shaped lugs intended to pass through two holes in the corresponding wing of the frame and to cooperate with at least one bolt of this wing.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will also emerge from the detailed description which follows.

An embodiment of the object of the invention is shown, by way of nonlimiting example, in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 est une perspective illustrant un balai-éponge, conforme à l'invention, en position d'épongeage,
• la figure 2 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 montrant le même balai-éponge en position d'essorage,
• la figure 3 est une élévation partielle prise suivant la flèche F de la figure 2,
• la figure 4 est une demi-coupe, demi-élévation vue de l'avant, la demi-coupe étant prise suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 3,
• la figure 5 est une coupe transversale prise suivant la ligne V-V de la figure 2,
• la figure 6 est une coupe prise, à plus grande échelle, suivant la ligne VI-VI de la figure 1,
• la figure 7 est un plan vu de dessus suivant la ligne VII-VII de la figure 6,
• la figure 8 est une perspective en vue synoptique montrant la monture et l'éponge écartées l'une de l'autre,
• la figure 9 est un plan vu de dessus de la monture selon la figure 8, sous laquelle est fixée l'éponge,
• la figure 10 est une coupe prise suivant la ligne X-X de la figure 9.

On this drawing :

• FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating a sponge mop, according to the invention, in the sponging position,
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the same sponge mop in the wringing position,
• FIG. 3 is a partial elevation taken along the arrow F in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 is a half-section, half-elevation seen from the front, the half-section being taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3,
• FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line VV in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 6 is a section taken, on a larger scale, along the line VI-VI of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 7 is a plan seen from above along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6,
• FIG. 8 is a perspective in block view showing the frame and the sponge separated from one another,
• FIG. 9 is a plan seen from above of the frame according to FIG. 8, under which the sponge is fixed,
• FIG. 10 is a section taken on line XX of FIG. 9.

As is apparent from the drawing and more particularly from FIGS. 1 and 2, the brush comprises a handle 1 forming a body with a tubular end piece 2 advantageously made of plastic, along which a pusher 3 is guided in translation and immobilized in rotation.

In the example shown in Figure 5, the pusher 3 is a cylindrical tube having a groove 4 and slidably mounted on the end piece 2 of cylindrical tubular shape with tongue 5.

At the bottom, the lower end of the end piece 2 of the handle is bent at about 45 ° and extended by a pin 6 which fits into a frame 7 of sponge 8 or other sponge layer.

Also at the bottom, the lower end of the pusher 3 is shaped like a fork with divergent branches 9 and 10 separated from each other both forwards and backwards by notches 11, 12.

The frame 7 advantageously made of plastic comprises two lateral wings 13 and 14 pivotally mounted on a median support 15. As shown more particularly in FIG. 9, articulation axes 16 aligned in the substantially horizontal anteroposterior direction pass through conjugated legs wing 13 and support 15; similarly, articulation axes 17 aligned in the substantially horizontal antero-posterior direction pass through conjugated legs of the wing 14 and of the support 15. Of course, the frame 7 can be monolithic and produced by molding a polypropylene so that the axes 16 and 17 are replaced by integrated hinges from molding.

Springs 18 in the form of blades or sausages connect the wings 13 and 14 above the support 15 to tend to bring said wings into alignment position, called sponge position (Figure 1), against stops described above. after.

The median support 15 is integral with a sleeve 19 intended to receive the pin 6, so that the latter can rotate therein and thus the handle can be folded down laterally to pass the sponge under the furniture or more easily access the corners of the part to be cleaned.

The sleeve 19 is also immobilized in translation relative to the pin 6 while remaining removable. For this purpose and as is apparent from Figure 6, a shoulder 20 is provided between the elbow of the end piece 2 of the handle 1 and the pin 6; moreover, this pin is extended by jaws 21 with raised and chamfered ends 22.

Said journal 6 is therefore trapped in the sleeve 19, but with a certain axial clearance for the establishment of a cover 23. The latter covers the sleeve 19 and its perforated end walls 24 and 25 are threaded on the jaws 21 and the pin 6 respectively; they are then interposed between said sleeve 19 and the raised ends 22, respectively the shoulder 20.

The cover 23 is an advantageously molded plastic part and it is attached to the sleeve 19, since it has lateral stops 26 and 27 projecting above the wings 13 and 14 (FIG. 7) to define by contact the above-mentioned position so-called sponge alignment shown in Figure 1.

The notches 11 and 12 of the pusher 3 are wide enough for the branches 9 and 10 of said pusher to pass, when the latter is moved in translation downwards, on either side of the cover 23. These branches allow, at the during said translation, to rotate the wings 13 and 14 towards each other to wring out the sponge 8, wringing position which is illustrated in FIG. 2.

Said branches 9 and 10 have internal projections 28 and 29 (Figure 2) which ensure contact with the wings 13 and 14 of the frame to rotate them towards each other. This contact, the surface of which is thus reduced, is accompanied, during the sliding downward of the pusher 3, of a sliding of the ribs downwards and forwards against said wings 13 and 14.

After spinning, the wings 13 and 14 return, under the action of the springs 18, to be placed in the sponge position, position in which they bear against the stops 26 and 27.

In this position, the pusher 3 can rise further, which is necessary when the handle is tilted laterally to pass under a piece of furniture. However, the race to top of the pusher is limited by a stopper of the nozzle 2, not visible in the drawing, so that the stops 26 and 27 of said pusher define the lowest lateral inclination of the handle.

Sponge 8 must be removable for replacement. In the example shown in Figures 8 to 10, it is integral, by gluing in particular, with two plates 30 and 31 advantageously made of plastic. These plates are intended to be applied against the wings 13 and 14 of the frame and to be fixed there by temporary latches 32 and 33 respectively.

In this example, more particularly illustrated by FIG. 9, the plate 30 is molded with two lugs 34 and 35 intended to pass through, by adjusting to it, two holes 36 and 37 of the wing 13, as well as notches 38 and 39 of a locking disc 40. These notches are formed in the peripheral edge 41 of the disc and the pins are shaped, at their free end, in hooks 42 so that this edge penetrates, after fitting said pins in the notches during of the rotation of the disc, under the hooks to ensure locking.

In said example more particularly illustrated in FIG. 10, the disc 40 is embedded in a housing 43 of the wing 13 and a finger 44 of which it is integral is rotatably mounted and immobilized in translation in the bottom of this housing.

The notch 39 (FIG. 3) is relatively extended to define, by its ends and by cooperating with a retainer 45 of the aforementioned housing, two extreme angular positions of the disc in which the latter locks or releases the lugs 34 and 35.

For plate 30, the latch 33 is similar to the latch 32. It has the same elements as the latter, which are designated by the same reference numbers.

In the position illustrated in FIG. 9 for the lock 32, the plate 30 is unlocked and its lugs 34, 35 can be disengaged to disassemble the sponge 8. On the other hand, in the position illustrated in this same figure 9 for the lock 33 , the plate 31 is locked, the hooks 42 of its lugs 34, 35 being taken up by the edge 41 of the disc 40.

Of course, each locking disc 40 can be replaced by one or two sliding pins cooperating with the conjugated lugs 34 and 35.

Figure 1 also shows that the sponge mop can be combined with a scraper 46 which accompanies the handle 1 during its rotation about its geometric axis, while the sponge 8 follows it only in a limited stroke due to the stop of the wings 9, 10 of the pusher 3 in the high position against the wings 13, 14 of the frame 7.

To this end, the scraper 46 includes a pad 47 fixed on a plate 48 made of plastic material, molded with a profiled finger 49 capable of fitting between the jaws 21 of the end pin 6 of the handle 1, position in which the plate 48 does not touch the front of the frame 7 fitted with the sponge 8.

Thus, by rotation of the handle around its geometric axis, the scraper 46 or the sponge 8 is brought into contact with the ground.

Claims (9)

1.- Sponge broom comprising, in order to constitute a frame (7) for a sponge layer such as a sponge (8), two lateral wings (13, 14) pivoting around at least one anteroposterior axis and connected to a handle (1) inclined upwards and backwards, these wings cooperating with a push rod guided relative to the brush and whose branches (9, 10) are capable, when it is moved, of bringing the wings of the frame closer from each other to a wringing position in which the sponge layer is compressed, characterized: - in that the bent end of the handle (1) is extended by a pin (6) rotatably mounted and immobilized in translation in a sleeve (19) forming part of the frame (7), - And in that a scraper (46) is mounted at the end of the pin (6) of the handle (1) and extends near the front face of the frame (7) and close to the latter, so that, by rotation of the handle around its axis, one puts in contact with the ground, either the spongy surface (8) or the scraper (47). 2. A sponge mop according to claim 1, characterized: - in that the journal of the bent end of the handle (1) is extended by jaws (21) elastically deformable and housed in the sleeve (19) of the frame (7), a sleeve which is interposed between raised ends ( 22) jaws (21) and a shoulder (20) of said pin (6), - And in that the scraper (46) comprises a pad (47) fixed on a plate (48) forming a body with a profiled finger (49) capable of being fitted between the jaws (21) of the end pin (5) of the handle (1). 3.- Sponge mop according to claim 1 or 2, characterized: - in that the wings of the frame are pivotally mounted on a median support (15) integral with the sleeve (19) and subject to at least one elastic member (18) tending to bring them back into a substantially aligned sponge position, - and in that the pusher is a tubular slide (3) guided in translation along the handle to an upper stop and immobilized in rotation (4, 5) around said handle, this tubular slide forming a body with two lower branches (9, 10) extending from both sides other of said sleeve. 4.- Sponge mop according to claim 3 characterized in that the sleeve (19) of the median support (15) is equipped with lateral stops (26, 27) extending above the wings (13, 14) of the mount (7) to define their aligned sponge position. 5.- Sponge mop according to claim 4, characterized in that the lateral stops (26, 27) are integral with a cover (23) independent, fitting onto the sleeve (19) and made prisoner thereof. 6.- sponge mop according to claim 5, characterized in that the perforated end walls (24, 25) of the cover (23) resting on the median support (15) of the frame (7) are threaded on the pin (6 ) and the jaws (21) of the handle (1) and are interposed between the sleeve (19) and for one (25), the shoulder (20) of this pin (6), for the other (24) , the raised ends (22) of these jaws (21). 7.- Sponge mop according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sponge layer (8) is integral with two rigid plates (30, 31) intended to be applied against the wings (13, 14) of the mount (7) and to be fixed thereto by removable means (32, 33). 8.- Sponge mop according to claim 7, characterized in that the means for fixing each plate (30, 31) supporting the sponge layer (8) are constituted by two lugs (34, 35) in the form of hooks (42 ) intended to pass through two holes (36) of the corresponding wing (13, 14) of the frame (7) and to cooperate with at least one bolt (40) of this wing. 9. A sponge mop according to claim 8, characterized in that each bolt (40) is common to two lugs (34, 35) and shaped as a disc mounted to rotate in the corresponding wing (13, 14) of the frame ( 7), this disc (40) having, for the passage of the lugs, two notches (38, 39) opening on the edge circular (41) of the disc which is intended to penetrate, during the rotation of this disc, under the hooks (42) and thus lock the corresponding plate (30, 31).

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