GB2239388A - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Cleaning equipment comprises a container 1 (such as a bucket) with a lower region 3 in which in use there is positioned an element 4 of mat or pad-like form adapted to receive dirt settling under gravity from cleaning liquid 5 in the container. A grid, grille or other apertured member 2, through which the dirt settling out from the cleaning liquid 5 can pass into the mat or pad 4, is positioned above the region 3 and is normally fixed in position within the container 1 so that the liquid 5 can be tipped out and replaced with the mat or pad 4 retained in position by the member 2. The apertured member 2 can however be removed. or displaced within the container 1, to allow access to the region 3 for removal and replacement of the mat or pad 4. <IMAGE>

Description

"CLEANING EQUIPMENT" The invention relates to cleaning equipment, and especially to a cleaning bucket for use with a cleaning element or device, such as a floor mop, cleaning cloth or chamois leather which is repeatedly wrung out into the bucket which in use contains a suitable cleaning liquid.

A problem encountered with a cleaning bucket is that dirt deposited out from the liquid collects at the bottom of the bucket and disturbance of the liquid, as when rinsing out a mop for example, washes the collected dirt back into the main body of liquid. In addition, the mop can pick up the collected dirt directly.

In order to extend the life of the cleaning liquid, additives can be used which act to break the bond between the cleaning agent and the dirt, so that the dirt or "soil" as it is commonly referred to in the cleaning industry is deposited out and falls to the bottom of the container. Whilst this theoretically keeps the liquid cleaner and extends the useful life thereof, the extra dirt deposited out increases the foregoing problem so that use of such an additive can be to some extent self defeating.

To solve the problem it has been proposed in GB 2 210 804 A that a container of cleaning equipment, such as a bucket, should be provided with a dirt trap comprising a dirt-receiving element of mat or pad-like form which is positioned to receive dirt settling under gravity from the contained cleaning liquid with the dirt collecting in, or passing through so as to be trapped below, the element, the form and structure of the element being such that disturbance of the liquid in the container cannot wash the collected dirt back out from or through the element to any significant extent.

Equipment in accordance with this proposal has markedly improved the efficiency of cleaning systems and has been well received by the cleaning industry, and practical use has shown that the mat or pad performs its intended function very satisfactorily when positioned at the bottom of a mop bucket. The present invention has for its aim to improve such cleaning systems still further; firstly, by facilitating changing of the cleaning liquid before the mat or pad requires removal for cleaning or replacement and, secondly, by increasing the range of mat or pad materials which can be used or increasing the working life expectancy of mats or pads as at present used.

With a view to effecting such improvement a cleaning bucket in accordance with the invention has, above a lower region in which a mat or pad as aforesaid is in use positioned, a grid, grille or other apertured member through which the dirt settling out from the cleaning liquid can pass into the mat or pad. It is a feature of the invention that said apertured member is normally fixed in position within the bucket so that the cleaning liquid when spent can be tipped out of the bucket with the mat or pad retained in position by that member, whereas when removal of the mat or pad for cleaning or replacement is desired the apertured member can be removed, or displaced within the bucket, so as to allow removal and replacement of the mat or pad.

Thus the invention provides, according to one aspect thereof, within a cleaning equipment container which is adapted to contain a cleaning liquid the combination of an apertured member extending across the container and a dirt-collecting mat or pad positioned in the container below the apertured member which is normally fixed in position but which is removable, or displaceable from the normal fixed position, to allow removal and replacement of the mat or pad.

As a result of the invention, the liquid can be replaced repeatedly and the bucket or container emptied out whilst the mat or pad and deposited dirt contained therein is retained in position below the apertured element. When the mat or pad has reached the stage when cleaning or replacement is necessary the apertured element is removed or moved aside, as the case may be, and the mat or pad removed and replaced as necessary. The cleaning liquid, typically a water/detergent mixture with an additive as aforementioned, may be replaced many times during each day's cleaning operation whereas the mat or pad is typically cleaned or replaced only after a number of weeks use, for example monthly, dependent on the quantity of dirt collected.

Furthermore, the invention allows a cheap sponge-like material to be used for the mat or pad so that it is a low-cost throw-away item after use and thus can economically be changed more frequently resulting in a cheaper and more efficient dirt collection system. Such a desirable material could not be used for the mat or pad prior to the present invention, as it would have been compacted and damaged by the mop and its buoancy would have caused it to float or at least to be readily displaced by turbulence in the liquid. Thus without the apertured member of the invention it is necessary to use a more durable and expensive material. The more buoyant and less durable material which can now be used may additionally, or alternatively, be selected for other advantageous qualities associated with efficient dirt collection and retention.

The mat or pad can be of any suitable form or structure satisfying the requirements that on the one hand the deposited-out dirt can collect in or pass through the mat or pad, but on the other hand cannot then be washed back into the main body of cleaning liquid as a result of turbulence and disturbances in the latter. Whilst the apertured member of the invention may be in the form of a plain grid with suitably sized apertures, it preferably has dirt collecting passages leading through to the mat or pad and designed adopting the same concept as the latter. That is to say, the passages are designed so that the dirt once collected in the passages is not readily washed back out into the main body of cleaning liquid before it reaches the mat or pad below.Thus a symbiosis results with the apertured member and the mat or pad below it each reinforcing the dirt-collecting function of the other, with increased dirt collection efficiency as compared with the prior art. To this end the apertured member may comprise an array of funnel-like passages, for example of a tapering shape which decreases in cross-sectional area from the top to the bottom at which each passage terminates in a small suitably-sized hole. These passages may, for example, be frusto-conical or of rectangular cross-section.

Alternatively, the apertured member may be in the form of a grid comprising parallel slats separated by narrow gaps, and these slats may be of generally arcuate shape and upwardly convex in transverse section.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying generally diagrammatic drawings which illustrate two embodiments of the invention and modifications thereof. In the drawings: Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively, a plan view and a front view of a mop bucket according to one embodiment, with the apertured member of the invention removed; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line III-III in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a scrap sectional view on the line IV-IV in Fig. 1, to a larger scale; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the apertured member of this embodiment, also to a larger scale; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line VI-VI in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 diagrammatically illustrates modifications relating to the manner of removably fixing the apertured member;; Fig. 8 is a side view of the other embodiment, with a portion of the side wall of the bucket cut away to show the form of the apertured member in this case; Fig. 9 is a half plan view of the bucket of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a plan view of the apertured member of this embodiment showing its relationship to adjacent regions of the bucket.

The embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 comprises a container in the form of a plain moulded mop bucket 1 of a generally conventional shape, that shown being chosen merely by way of example. The invention can be applied to a bucket of any shape and comprises an apertured member 2 extending across the bucket a distance above the bottom la of the bucket so as to define, below the member 2, a lower region or space 3 to contain a mat or pad 4. In use the bucket 1 contains a conventional cleaning liquid 5 and dirt transferred from the surface being cleaned to the bucket 1 by the mop (not shown) deposits out, under gravity, and falls through the apertured member 2 into the space 3.At the front the bucket 1 has a wall lb which is inclined downwardly from the rim of the bucket 1 to the level of the member 2, and the mop can be squeezed out against this wall Ib along which the dirt squeezed out falls into the space 3 through the member 2.

After passing through the member 2 the dirt, as already described, enters the three-dimensional porous, cellular or mesh-like structure of the mat or pad 4 and is thus collected therein, being retained within the mat or pad 4 against any tendency for it to be washed back out by turbulence or disturbances in the liquid 5. When the liquid 5 requires changing it can be poured out of the bucket 1 into a sink or drain in the usual manner without tipping out the mat or pad 4, which is retained in the space 3 by the member 2 which remains fixed in position within the bucket 1 above the space 3.In this embodiment the element 2 is retained in position at four points by two spaced internal projections 6 moulded integrally with one side wall lc of the bucket 1, and two similar and opposite internal projections 7 moulded integrally with the other side wall ld. As clearly shown in the enlarged scale sectional view of Fig. 4, the projections 6 (and 7) have upper inclined faces such as 6a to facilitate clipping in of the member 2 past the projections 6 and 7, accommodated by flexing of the side walls lc and ld of the moulded plastics bucket 1, and radiused lower faces such as 6b which provide firm retention whilst still allowing removal of the member 2 when required.

In this embodiment member 2 is a polypropylene moulding, for example of 3 mm thickness, in the form of a grid with a rectangular array of tapering apertures such as 8 providing funnel-like through passages. These apertures 8 are of rectangular, in this case square, cross-section with a linear taper so that dirt falling on to the grid 2 is funnelled through the apertures 8 into the space 3. For example and with reference to Fig. 6, the apertures 8 may have a top dimension A of about 7.5 mm and bottom dimension B of about 5.5 mm. The bars such as 9 of grid 2, between which the apertures 8 are defined, are upwardly radiused as shown in Fig. 6 so that any dirt deposited upon one of them will slide down into an adjoining aperture 8.The mat or pad 4 is here a black polyethylene reticulated foam pad, of about 20 mm thickness and porosity 20 ppi, within which dirt falling into the space 3 is received and retained.

In addition to allowing the liquid 5 to be tipped out and replaced as many times as might be required whilst the pad 4 is retained in the space 3 by the grid 2, the latter also protects the mat or pad 4 against crushing or damage by the mop when the latter is rinsed out in the bucket 1. This increases the life expectancy of a re-usable mat or pad 4, or enables a cheaper and less robust sponge-like pad material to be used for a "use once" throw-away dirt-collecting mat or pad. Furthermore a buoyant sponge-like material can be used for the mat or pad 4 as it is held down by the element 2 against any tendency to float or to be displaced by disturbance or turbulence in the liquid 5. Thus the invention facilitates manufacture of the mat or pad 4 as a cheap disposable item which can be replaced frequently, providing a cost-effective and efficient cleaning system.

When it is desired to remove the mat or pad 4 for cleaning out or replacement, either the same mat or pad being replaced after cleaning or a fresh mat or pad being fitted, the member 2 is unclipped and removed, being pulled out past the moulded projections 6 and 7. This allows removal and replacement of the mat or pad 4, after which the element 2 is replaced and clipped into its normal fixed position below the projections 6 and 7.

It will be appreciated that any suitable moulded or otherwise formed fixings may be used for the apertured element 2. The essential requirements for these fixings are that the element 2 should be reliably fixed during emptying out of the bucket 1, and that it can be removed or displaced to allow removal and replacement of the mat or pad 4.

Fig. 7 diagrammatically illustrates two modified fixings for the apertured member shown at 11 and 12, respectively, in the bucket 13 which now has smoothly moulded side walls. In one modification flexible plastics clips 15 are clipped on to the opposite side edges of the member 11, and as shown these resiliently engage the side walls 14 reliably to retain the member 11 in position across the bucket 13 until removal is required. In the other modification spring steel clips 16, which perform the same function as the clips 15, are now fixed to opposite side edges of the member 12 by rivets 17.

The embodiment of Figs. 8 to 10 comprises a moulded bucket 20 designed as part of a combination which includes a wringer with rollers mounted at the top of he bucket, and operated through a toggle-operating linkage with a foot pedal inset at the front of the bucket. The elements of the wringer mechanism are omitted from the drawings and will not be described herein as they are not germane to the invention and in no way affect description of the latter. As before an apertured member 21 extends across the bucket 20 above a lower region or space defined within a well 22 which contains a foam mat or pad 23. The base of the bucket 20 at the front immediately below the non-illustrated wringer rollers has an inclined surface 24, so that dirt wrung out of a mop tends to fall on to this surface 24 and is deflected towards the well 22. This dirt, and any dirt settling by gravity out of the cleaning liquid, falls through the member 21 into the well 22 and collects in the pad 23 as with the first embodiment.

The member 21 is again a plastics moulding but in this case it comprises a series of parallel slats, shown for example as four in number referenced 25 to 28, with gaps 29 between them. These slats are generally arcuate in transverse section and upwardly convex as shown in Fig. 8, presenting a domed upper surface along which any dirt depositing on a slat 25, 26, 27 or 28 slides down to an adjoining gap 29 and thus into the well 22. The moulding 21 includes parallel webs 30 which rigidify the slats 25 to 28 join them together across the gaps 29. In plan view the bucket 20 is symmetrical about a fore-and-aft centre line C and, as can be seen from the half-section view of Fig. 9, a front portion of the well 22 is of reduced width defined between opposed side walls such as 31. The rear wall 20a of the bucket 20 is moulded internally with two spaced pivot support webs 32 which have upper pivot recesses into which integral pivot stubs 33 of the grid 21 are a snap-in fit on assembly. Thus the grid 21 is pivotally fixed at the rear to the bucket 20.

Towards the front the grid 21 has two downwardly projecting integral legs 34 which resiliently engage the side walls 31 to hold down the front of the grid 21. It is as before held securely in position whilst the contents of the bucket are tipped out, whereas access to the well 22 to remove the pad 23 can be gained by lifting up the front of the grid 21 to disengage the legs 34 from the side walls 31 and allow it to pivot upwardly about its pivot fixings 32,33. The grid 21 is replaced by a reverse pivotal movement to the normal fixed position illustrated.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS:

1. Cleaning equipment comprising a bucket which has, above a lower region in which in use there is positioned an element of mat or pad-like form adapted to receive dirt settling under gravity from cleaning liquid in the bucket, a grid, grille or other apertured member through which the dirt settling out from the cleaning liquid can pass into the mat or pad, said apertured member being normally fixed in position within the bucket so that the liquid can be tipped out of the bucket with the mat or pad retained in position by that member, whereas the apertured member can be removed, or displaced within the bucket, to allow removal and replacement of the mat or pad.

2. Cleaning equipment comprising a container adapted to contain a cleaning liquid and, within the container, the combination of an apertured member extending across the container and a dirt-collecting mat or pad positioned in the container below the apertured member which is normally fixed in position but which is removable, or displaceable from the normal fixed position, to allow removal and replacement of the mat or pad.

3. Cleaning equipment according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the apertured member is in the form of a grid.