GB2476265A

GB2476265A - Mop wringer with eccentric cam for adjusting distance between two rollers

Info

Publication number: GB2476265A
Application number: GB0922033A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Hudsmith; Paul Michael Frost
Original assignee: Crisp Clean Services Ltd
Current assignee: Crisp Clean Services Ltd
Priority date: 2009-12-17
Filing date: 2009-12-17
Publication date: 2011-06-22
Also published as: GB0922033D0; DE202010016671U1

Abstract

A mop wringer comprises a fixed frame 1 with a bucket holder 9 and a pivoting frame 3 attached to the fixed frame 1. Fixed frame 1 carries a fixed roller 2, and pivoting frame 3 comprises a movable roller 4, which may be moved towards fixed roller 2 using a foot pedal 17. One of frames 1, 3, comprises an eccentrically rotatable cam 23, 24 for co-operating with the other frame 1, 3 to determine the minimum distance between the rollers 2, 4. The cam 23, 24 may be mounted on the same spindle (20, 30, Fig 4) as one of the rollers 2, 4, and may be provided with a plurality of angularly spaced radial channels 28, 29, which receive a member (5a, 6a, 15a, 16a) of the associated frame 1, 3, which may be held in the channels by resilient means. Cam 23, 24 may co-operate with a stop 35, 36 on the other frame 1, 3, the stop being moved out of co-operation with the cam 23, 24 to allow the rollers 2, 4 to be moved closer together. Stop 35, 36 may comprise a sleeve slidingly engaged on one of the frame members 1, 3. There may be a pair of cams 23, 24 at each end of one of the rollers 2, 4, and there may be a pair of sleeves joined by a handle 38.

Description

MOP WRINGER

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates o mop wringers of the kind which are adapted o receive a bucket for holding cleaning liquids and which enable an operator, by depressing a foot pedal, o squeeze excess liquid from a mop head.

L() BACKGROUND

In known mop wringers of the kind referred o the amount of liquid remaining in the mop can only be conroIIed by varying the amount of pressure which the operator applies o the foot pedal. If oo little liquid remains the mopping operation is ineffective, bu if oo much liquid is used the floor will be oo wee, requiring additional drying and possibly leading o a danger of skddng.

Mopping buckets with built-in wringing rollers are known. In one such bucker a lever can be moved past a series of projections o change the position of a fixed roller relative o a movable roller. Such a system cannot readily be applied to mop wringers of the kind referred o, in which the wringing mechanism is external o the bucket. Furthermore, such a system is considered o have disadvantages since manufacturing tolerances or relatively small amounts of wear in the mechanism would cause the spacing between the rollers o change significantly.

The present invention seeks o provide a new and inventive form of mop wringer of the kind referred o which allows the spacing between the rollers o be easily and accurately se and which achieves a consistently accurate amount of wringing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention proposes a mop wringer which includes: -a fixed frame which is provided with a bucket holder and which carries a fixed roller above the bucker holder; and -a pivoting frame, rotatably attached to the fixed frame, which carries a movable roller in co-operation with the fixed roller and includes a foot pedal which can be used b move the pivoting frame to carry the moveable roller towards the fixed roller; in which one of said frames is provided with a cam which co-operates with the other frame o determine the minimum distance between the wo rollers and the cam is eccentrically roaable o vary said minimum distance.

By using a separate cam o determine the spacing rather than physically changing the operative position of one of the rollers the spacing is both accurate and consistent. The cam can also be rotatably mounted on a common spindle with the associated roller, so that the cam directly controls the position of the roller.

The cam is preferably carried by the pivoting frame, and preferably co-operates with a stop on the fixed frame which can be moved out of co-operation with the cam allowing the rollers to move together so as to apply maximum wringing pressure.

Such an arrangement provides the operator with a convenient and simple way of switching the wringer back and forth between a controlled wringing position and a dry wringing position.

In order to achieve precise spacing across the width of the rollers there are preferably a pair of such cams and sleeves at opposite ends of the rollers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general view of a mop wringer in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a general view of a similar mop wringer with a different base detail; Figure 3 is a general view of the mop wringer of Fig. 2, looking from the opposite side; Figure 4 is a partially exploded view of the mop wringer of Fig.s 2 and 3; Figure 5 is a general view of one of the cam wheels included in the mop wringer; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the cam wheel; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the mop wringer; and L() Figure 8 is a similar side elevation, including an enlarged detail, showing the wringer in a position which allows a controlled amount of wringing to be applied to a mop head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring firstly to Fig.s 1 to 3, the mop wringer comprises a fixed frame 1 which carries a fixed roller 2, and a pivoting frame 3 which carries a movable roller 4. The fixed frame includes a pair of side members 5 and 6 of box-section stainless steel or similar tube which is formed into a V with upper limbs 5a, 6a and lower limbs 5b, 6b visible in Fig. 1 only. The wo lower limbs 5b and 6b are joined by one or more transverse bars 7 forming a rigid base upon which the wringer stands in use. The base also includes a bucket holder, which may, for example, take the form of a shallow wire basket 8 as in Fig. 1 or a moulded plastic base 9 incorporating a shallow well as in Fig.s 2 and 3 When a bucket B is placed into the bucket holder the upper limbs 5a and 6a extend on opposite sides of he bucker holding the fixed roller 2 above the open op of the bucket as shown, An inverted U-shaped wire handle 10 may be pivoally engaged with the wo upper limbs 5a and 6a a a suitable balance point o allow the wringer and bucket o be easily lifted and carried when necessary.

The pivoting frame 3 may be formed from a single length of round tube which is bent o provide wo V-shaped side pieces 15 and 16, located outside the fixed frame 1, each providing an upper arm 15a, 16a and a lower arm 15b, 16b which are joined by a transverse section which provides a foot pedal 17. The movable roller 4 is mounted above the bucker B between the free ends of the upper arms 15a and 16a, and the side pieces 15 and 16 are pivoted o the outside faces of side members 5 and 6 such that downward pressure on the foot pedal 17 causes the pivoting frame o carry the movable roller 4 towards the fixed roller 2. As shown in Fig. 3, a tension spring 18 is connected between the wo frames 1 and 3 50 ha the rollers 2 and 4 are normally held apart. A buffer 19, mounted on one of the frames, determines the maximum spacing between the rollers and the rest position of the foot pedal 17 upon contact with the other frame.

Referring o the exploded view of Fig. 4, the movable roller 4 is roaably mounted on a first spindle 20 between tubular spacers 21 and 22 and cam wheels 23 and 24, the ends of the spindle being inserted into the arms 15a and 16a. The spacers 21 and 22 may also be formed integrally with the roller 4 or cam wheels 23 and 24. The roller, spacers and cam wheels are held together under slight compression by inherent springiness of the pivoting frame 3, with the wo cam wheels 23 and 24 being i-positioned o co-operate with the upper limbs 5a and 6a of the fixed frame.

Referring now o Fig.s 5 and 6, the cam wheels 23 and 24 both have a hole 25 o receive the first spindle 20, which is eccentrically positioned reIaive o a circular outer cam face 26.

The side face of each cam wheel which is located adjacent to the respective side arm 15a or 16a is formed with perpendicularly inersecing channels 28 and 29 which non-roaably locate the cam wheel relative o the respective arm. One of the channels 28 extends diametrically of the circular cam face 26 in alignment with he hole 25 so that, when received in the channel 28, the cam projects equally on both sides of the arm by a maximum distance D2. However, the other channel 29 lies on a cord relative o the cam face 26, offset from the geometrical centre of the cam face 26, so ha when the arm is Iocaed in the channel 29 the cam face 26 projects by a smaller amount Dl on one side of the arm and by a greater amount D3 on the other side of the arm. By springing the arms 15a and 16a outwards the cam wheels 23 and 24 can be rotated to the three different cam positions spaced at 90 degree intervals (the two 180 degree cam positions with the arms in the channels 28 providing substantially identical spacing) to provide a choice of spacings Dl, D2 or D3.

Returning to the exploded view shown in Fig. 4, the fixed roller 2 is rotatably mounted on a second spindle 30 between tubular spacers 31 and 32, and the ends of the spindle 30 are inserted into the upper limbs 5a and 6a of the fixed frame 1. In addition, square-section moulded slides 35 and 36 are slidably received over the free ends of the upper limbs 5a and 6a, provided with longitudinal slots 37 to receive the spacers 31 and 32. The slides 35 and 36 are connected together by a slide-operating handle in the form of a rod 38.

When the foot pedal 17 is not being depressed the rollers 2 and 4 are held at their optimum spacing, as shown in Fig. 7, under the action of spring 18 and buffer 19. A mop can thus be inserted between the rollers to immerse the mop head in cleaning liquid within the bucket B. When the slides 35 and 36 are in their operative lowermost position, defined by engagement of the spacers 31 and 32 with the top ends of the slots 37, closure of the rollers 2 and 4 by depressing the foot pedal 17 brings the cam wheels 23 and 24 into contact with the slides 35 and 36, thereby defining the minimum spacing between the rollers regardless of the pressure applied o the foot pedal. (See Fig. 8.) The size of the gap thus formed between the rollers is determined by the roaional position of the cam wheels, as described, which varies the spacing between the first spindle 20 and the region of the cam surfaces in conac with the slides 35 and 36. The size of the gap in turn determines the amount of liquid remaining in the mop head when i is drawn between the rollers, in an accurate and reproducible manner.

When i is desired o remove all residual liquid from the mop head (e.g. on completion of mopping) the slides 35 and 36 can be puJled upwards by means of the operating handle 38.

Irrespective of the cam positions, the cams are now unimpeded by the slides allowing the rollers o come into conac, or a lease move close enough together that the foot pedal can be used o apply maximum pressure as the mop head is moved between the rol'ers.

ft will be appreciated that, functionally, the cams could be associated with the fixed frame and the slides associated with the pivoting frame. However, the arrangement described is more compact and somewhat more reliable as the cams are best associated with the outer frame in co-operation with the inner frame, which is preferably fixed o prevent fouling the bucket.

WhiIs the above description places emphasis on the areas which are believed o be new and addresses specific problems which have been identified, i is intended that the features disclosed herein may be used in any combination which is capable of providing a new and useful advance in the are.

* * * * * * * * L()

Claims

CLAIMS1. A mop wringer which includes: -a fixed frame which is provided with a bucket holder and which carries a fixed roller above the bucket holder; and -a pivoting frame, roaably attached o the fixed frame, which carries a movable roller in co-operation with the fixed roller and includes a foot pedal which can be used to move the pivoting frame to carry the moveable roller towards the fixed roller; in which one of said frames is provided with a cam which co-operates with the other frame o determine the minimum i-distance between the wo rollers and the cam is eccentrically Iv-roaabIe o vary said minimum distance.
2. A mop wringer according o Claim 1 in which the cam is roatably mounted on a common spindle with the associated roller.
3. A mop wringer according o Claim 2 in which the cam is provided with a plurality of angularly spaced radial channels which receive a member of the associated frame.
4. A mop wringer according o Claim 3 in which the frame member is held in the channels by resilient means.
5. A mop wringer according o any preceding claim in which the cam co-operates with a stop on the other frame which can be moved ou of co-operation with the cam allowing the rollers o move closer together.
6. A mop wringer according o Claim 5 in which the stop comprises a sleeve which is slidably engaged on a respective frame member.
7. A mop wringer according o Claim 6 in which the associated roller is mounted on a spindle which is received in a sloe in the sleeve.
8. A mop wringer according o any preceding claim in which there are a pair of such cams a opposite ends of the Iv-associated roller.

L.()
9. A mop wringer according o Claim 8 and Claim 6 or 7 in which there are a pair of such sleeves a opposite ends of the associated roller.
10. A mop wringer according o Claim 9 in which the sleeves are joined by an operating handle.
11. A mop wringer according o any preceding claim in which the cam is carried by the pivoting frame.
12. A mop wringer subsanially as described with reference o the drawings.* * * * * * * *