Mop having adjustable holder for pocket type mop head

June 13, 1961 w. a. ballinger 2,987,745

MOP HAVING ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR POCKET TYPE MOP HEAD

Filed Aug. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US2987745A_D0001.tif" />

June 13, 1961

W. A. BALLINGER

2,987,745

MOP HAVING ADJUSTABLE- HOLDER FOR POCKET TYPE MOP HEAD

Filed Aug. 26, 1957

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US2987745A_D0002.tif" />

2,987,745

Patented June 13, 1961

United States Patent Office

987 745

MOP HAVING ADJUSTABLE HOLDER FOR POCKET TYPE MOP HEAD

Wallace Atkinson Ballinger, 8 Sycamore Road, Orinda, Calif.

Filed Aug. 26,1957, Ser. No. 680,264 3 Claims. (CI. 15—229)

This invention relates to a mophead holder. More particularly, it relates to a holder enabling quick attachment and detachment of the mophead.

Mops have heretofore been known in which the mophead had pockets on its upper surface and in which the mophead holder had means to releasably engage the pockets, usually comprising spring hinges or similar devices. These, when engaged, applied a stretching force to the pockets so that while the fit was tight at first, the mophead would soon stretch out of shape, would get loose, and eventually would fall oS. The present invention solves this problem by providing a novel mophead holder which can always be made to fit snugly in the mophead pockets and yet can be readily released. It applies no stretching forces unless those are desired.

A feature of the present invention is a structure providing a relative sliding action between two parts of the mophead holder, together with a novel alignment provision and tightening means such as a pair of wing nuts. When the nuts are tight, the two parts are held securely in place, as in its extended position. When they are loosened, they can readily be slid together, as for withdrawal of one mophead and insertion of another mophead, and slid apart, as for engagement in the pockets.

Thus one object of the present invention is to provide a quick-action mophead holder for use with pocket-type interchangeable mopheads characterized by its ability to hold the mopheads snugly without stretching them. As a corollary, this invention makes it feasible to change mopheads frequently, so that they may be washed between uses, and so that different ones may be. used for different purposes. 40

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the lower portion of a mop having a mophead holder embodying the present invention, the handle and the ends of the mophead being broken oil to enable use of a rather large scale drawing.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the mophead holder in FIG. 1. The holder is shown in solid lines in its extended position; the broken lines show one of the elements slid relatively to the other to collapsed position used during insertion and removal of a mophead.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective generally similar to FIG. 1 but showing in solid lines the mop holder in its retracted position for insertion and removal; broken lines showing the inserted position. Most of one side of the mophead and holder have been broken off to conserve space.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the mop holder, on a somewhat enlarged scale, with the handle in the swivelable position.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the central portion of the mop holder on the scale of Fig. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the central portion of the mop holder, taken on the scale of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the central portion of the mop holder taken on the same scale as FIGS. 1 through 3. The handle-attachment portion of the mophead holder is shown in solid lines in a vertical position, while broken lines show the extreme positions thereof along a plan perpendicular to the mop holder.

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the central portion of the mop holder, showing the swiveling movement of the handle-attachment portion in a direction perpendicular to the movement shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view on a reduced scale of a mophead of the type used in my invention.

FIG. 1 shows the lower portion of a mop with a handle 10, most of which is broken off to conserve space, a mophead holder 11 of the present invention and a mophead 10 12. As shown in the drawings, the mophead or cleaning portion 12 may comprise an assembly of cotton string 13 with a fabric backing 14. By way of example, (see FIG. 9), it is shown as having a long rectangular shape, although some changes in the shape may be made without 15 deviating from the principles of this invention. The fabric backing 14 is provided with a pair of sockets or pockets 15, one at each end, preferably made by folding a portion of the fabric back on the backing strip 14 and stitching it there on at least the two edges. The closed 20 side may have a heavier fabric added to it for additional strength. The mop holder 11 is insertable into the pockets 15 for using the mop and is removable when the mophead 12 is to be washed, or when a change is to be made to another type of mophead.

The holder 11 of this invention includes a pair of generally rectangular plate members 16, 17. These plate members 16, 17 may be made of flat steel, but preferably their longitudinal edges are provided with upwardly and outwardly extending flanges 18. The purpose of 30 these flanges 18 is to enable the two plate members 16, 17 to nest together. Flat plates would not of themselves have any guiding action during expansion or contraction of the mop holder 11.

Each plate 16, 17 is preferably provided with one lon35 gitudinally extending closed-end slot 19 and with a bolt opening 20 adapted to lie opposite the slot 19 of the other plate 17 or 16. Bolts 21 in the assembled mop each extend through the bolt opening 20 and the slot 19 in the two opposite plates 16,17, and a suitable fastening and release means, such as a wing nut 22 and a washer 23, are provided, preferably on the upper surface of the upper plate member 16. As will be obvious from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, this means that the two plates 16, 17 can slide relatively to each other lengthwise, guided by their flanges 18 and by the slots 19 and bolts 21. This makes 45 it possible to insert the plates 16,17 into the pockets 15 by (1) collapsing the plates 17, 16 together to shorten their length, (2) inserting the upper plate 16 into one pocket 15, (3) sliding the lower plate 17 relative thereto with the nuts 22 loosened but still engaged until it engages the ¢0 other pocket 15, and (4) tightening the nuts 22 firmly to hold the plates 16, 17 in the extended position.

The upper plate 16 is provided, at a place which will, when the mophead holder 11 is in the extended position, be at about the center thereof, with a pair of opposed 55 bracket members 30 (see FIGS. 4 to 8). These bracket members 30 may comprise comer members having three sides. A horizontal base side 31 is secured to the plate member 16, as by rivets 29, screws, or other suitable means. An upstanding flange 32 extends perpendicular g0 to the plane of the plate 16 and also perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. The two flanges 32 face each other and are spaced apart for a purpose soon to be explained. They have a generally L-shape or step-shape, having a higher portion 33 and a lower portion 34. The third ₆g comer 35 of the bracket members 30 is not essential, but is advisable to provide rigidity for these opposed parallel members 30. Aligned openings 36 are provided in the lower steps 34 of the parallel opposed flanges 32.

The mophead holder 11 is attached to a handle 10 by a handle receiving member 40 comprising a pair of steel plates 41, 42 formed into a generally circular tapered socket and secured together by welded side flange·

2,887,745

42. At their forward end, the plates 41, 42 are formed to provide a split yoke 43. The connection between this yoke 43 and the supporting bracket on the mop holder 11 is made by a novel type of universal connection 44. The universal joint member 44 preferably comprises a 5 box-like member 45, which may be open at the ends, providing four sides 50, 52 generally rectangular and preferably square. A bolt 46 extends through the aligned openings 36 in the lower step 34 and through aligned openings 51 in the side walls 50 of the box-like 10 member 45 to provide a pivotal connection to the upstanding parallel bracket flanges 32. Another bolt 47, perpendicular to this one at a short distance therefrom, extends through the other two sides 52 and connects the member 45 to the yoke member 43. This means 15 that the handle 10 is pivoted along an axis generally horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mop holder 11, while the universal joint 44 is itself pivoted relatively to the brackets 30 by a generally horizontal pivot 46 parallel to the longitudinal axis of 20 the mop holder 11.

It will be noticed also that the upper step 33 cooperates with the yoke 43, so that the yoke 43 extends approximately even with the top of the upper step 33 when the handle 10 is held perpendicular to the mop holder 11. The upper portion of the step 33 provides a means for preventing the swiveling action on the upper bolt 47 and permits only movement along the plane perpendicular to the plates 16, 17. This means that when the user is holding the mop handle 10 on the same side of the mop as the upper steps 33, he is assured of relative rigidity, and the close fit of the tolerance provided by tightening the bolt 46 on the universal joint 44 between the two brackets 30 is enough to prevent accidental vertical movement except when the user wants it. On the other hand, once the mop handle 10 has been swung over to the other side, above the lower step 34, the swiveling action is free to take place both in the vertical plane heretofore mentioned and also in any plane perpendicular to that plane. This means that it is possible for the mophead to assume almost any position relative to its handle when on that side of the mop holder 11.

The operation of the present device is as follows: the handle 10 is inserted in the handle holder 40, and the mop-holding portion 11 is readied to receive the mop cleaning portion 12 by loosening the wing nuts 22 or other tightening device, and moving the plates 16, 17 together. The bolts 21 and the slot 19 along with the flanges 18 guide the two plates 16, 17 parallel to one another to the closest position. The rectangular dusting-mop portion 12 is then laid on the floor, the mopholding portion 11 is placed on top of the fabric backing 14 and once again the plates 16 and 17 are moved relative to one another, this time in an outward direction so that the ends of the plates 16 and 17 are inserted into the pockets 15 of the dusting portion 12. When the plates hit the ends of the pockets 15, the wing nuts 22 are tightened and the mop is ready for use.

Now, depending on the type of area to be cleaned, the handle 10 may be vertically tilted to either the swivel side 34 of the mop holder 11 or it may be kept on the rigid side 33 of the mop holder 11, if no swivel action is desired.

It can easily be seen that this assembled mop has many advantages over prior-art structures. The user may have a free moving mophead 12 with which to get into corners and other inaccessible areas, or the user may keep the mophead in its conventional position for covering large, flat surfaces which are unobstructed by 70 desks, etc. At the same time, the user may easily replace or substitute one mophead 12 for another when the used mophead 12 gets dirty, or when a job requires a different type of mophead 12.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention re- W lates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.