US2651073A - Mop wringer - Google Patents

Description

Sept.- 8, 1953 w. c. ROE 2,651,073

MOP WRINGER Filed Sept. 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- lV/LL/A/W ROE BY f ' ATTORN EYS.

Sept. 8, 1953 w. c. ROE 2,651,073

I MOP WRINGER Fil ed Sept. 25, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORY W/LL/AM 6. R05

ATTORN EYS.

tents during the squeezin operation.

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOP WRINGER William C. Roe, Elyria, Ohio, assignor to The Colson Corporation, Elyria. Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 25, 1947, SerialNo. 776,099

6 Claims. (01. 15 261) problem and dilemma. If the squeezer be as large,

as desired for a good sized mop then it must be disposed much to one side of the center of the pail or bucket with which it is associated to make satisfactory room for the mop to be dipped in the pail prior to the squeezin thereof. But the more eccentric the position of the squeezer with reference to the pail the more will be the spilling and squirting over the side of the pail and the more liable will the whole assembly of pail and squeezer be to tipping and losing its whole con- It is no answer to suggest using smaller mops or larger pails or squeezing out less water or suds since all such compromises merely measure the inherent insufficiency of the device. Another type of prior art device admits the mop to the middle of the pail and permits its extraction between adjustable wringer rolls. This type while putting the mop in a desirable position relative to the pail involves the operator in the difficulty of both squeezing the rolls upon the mop and causing relative movement between the rolls and mop wherewith to wring out the contents of the latter. Usually a foot actuated treadle is provided for squeezing the rolls and the operators main strength and awkwardness is required to hoist the mop through the rolls while straining'to hold the rolls together. Often the more the operator lifts upwardly on the mop handle the harder he presses down on the treadle and the more the mop resists extraction from the rolls. All of this tends to effect a self-stopping, back-breaking wrestle between the operator, mop, wringer and pail, often leading to toppling the pail or giving up the effect to remove any substantial quantity of liquid or suds from the mop.

It is among the objects of my invention to solve the problems and avoid the dilemmas of the prior art, and to provide a mop squeezer that will be easy to operate and will do an eflicient job of removing liquid and suds from a wide range of shapes, kinds and sizes of mops without splashing or spilling or hazard of toppling the pail or requiring especial ingenuity, patience or skill by the operator. Another object is to provide a mop squeezer having improved operating characteristics with increasing mechanical advantage apportioned to and balanced against the increase in pressure desired to be applied to the mop to extract the most reluctant increments of liquid and suds therefrom. Another object is to provide a mop squeezer in which squeezing is induced to take place near the center of the pail wherewith to avoid squirting fluid away from or over the sides or brim of the pail. Another object is to squeeze the whole of a large mass of mop between relatively movable pressure plates of large area while exerting greater squeezing pressure in upper rather than lower portions of the mass without, however, denying the lower part of the mass ample squeezin pressure. Another object is to provide a large, free opening through the squeezer directly into and centrally of the pail so that the mop after immersion in the pail may be withdrawn directly into the bite of the squeezer thereby eliminating the characteristic dipping in one side of the pail and transferring the dripping mop up and around from pail to squeezer. Another object is to provide a squeezer in which different portions of the map may be easily squeezed step by step. That is to say,'the upper portion of a large mop may be squeezed as much as desired whilst a lower portion or lower portions depend below the squeezer in position to be raised in whole or in part into the grip of squeezer when the same is opened to permit the raising of the mop thereinto. A companion object is to provide that any desirable large or small portion or increment of the fluid laden part of the map may be raised into the squeezer and squeezed, and if extreme dryness is desired with unusually modest squeezing effort, to provide that a corresponding multiple step by step succession of squeezes be available to progressively dry succeeding portions and/or overlapping portions of the mop and to provide that the squeezed fluids shall fiow in the direction from the dry to the wet portions of the mop.

Other objects are to provide that my squeezer may be easily attachable to and detachable from the pail or bucket on which it is mounted; be secure in its attachment thereto as against dislodgment during the working thereof; be of essentially simple and rugged construction and economical of manufacture; and have a desirable stability and balance with respect to the torque applied thereto and the distribution of its internal and external torque reactions whereby to lend safety and security to the use and operation thereof. Another object is to provide an improved mounting and carriage for a movable pressure plate whereby to enhance its travel, position and coaction with the mop to be squeezed. Another object is to provide a squeezer with an improved operating linkage, support and means of assembly thereof.

Other objects will appear from the following description of a preferred form andrembodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my mop squeezer viewed from the side of the operating lever; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the line 2-2 of the top plan view of my-sdueezer-shown Figure 7; Figure 3 is a vertical sectional wiew taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure '7; Figure 4 is a view similar toir'ig-ure-eashmvingitim parts in a middle working position, a dot and dash showing of the position of the handle being-added although the handle isficehind the plane of the line -'3-'3; Figure 5 is *a front end elevation viewed from the plane 6f the -'line 5-33 of Figure 7; Figure 6 is arear end elevation wiewed tro'm the'plan'e of the-linee- B'of'Figure Land l igur'e '7 as mentioned above is atop-plan view of my squeez'er; in "all views my'sque'ez'er is "depicted as mounted upon the brim of anuin operative-relation to a conventional 'palilprbuclret, the upper portion of which is "shown or suggested inb'roken lines.

In the preferred form df my invention shoWn -in the drawings my mop-squeezer -Scomprises 'ver tica'lly disposed parallel, s aced apart, fixed 'si'de plates! and 2, which serve as tlre main'structural frame elements of the squ'ee'zen a fixed "vertically disposed perforate pressur'e plate secui ed beable bodily 'from'front t'orear andbaok andfor'th of the squeezer transversely -df th'e *side plates and2 under the influence o f the operating lever 5 which is fulcrumed and pivotally supported on anaiis and shaft ii-ca'rried and pivotally rriounted at the rear o f'the side platesland z. I he lev er 5 comprises the manually orieraiblfiharidle the force arm thereof anil also comprises ajpair of work armst anda'carriedaat-opposite encs oi the shaft 6 'eXteriQrlyGf' theplates "l and 2.

As suggested particularly "in Figures 3 "and 4 counter-clockwise rotation'o'f the lever 5 comp'els bodily movement of 'the "front pressure "plate "4 toward the rear plate3 wherewitht'o 'squeeze the mop or portion thereof disposed therebetween. Each of the sidelpl'a'tes I and; is 'provid'edwith downwardly facing'notch'es N 'formedin its front and rear edges respectively'somewhat'below mitlheight thereof wherewith to receive the brim 1B of the pail P and be located-rand supported thereupon. As shown "'in l igure '7 theplates I and 2 'lie'in planes or chords a: tl're brim 0f the pail;

the notches "being deep enough to give the plates a secure seat on the'brim 'o'f 'the'pail and being wide enough to I admit of desirably wi'de itolerance between pails of somewhat different size and shape.

Each'of the-plates l an'd 2 h'a'sa downward'extension E adjacent its rear 'ed'ge 'towhi'ch opposite ends of a curved resilient =met-allicstrap W0 are secured. As shown in Figures "1+4 and? the strap lt'is bowed to bearsnuglya'gainst theinjner curved surface of the pail P when the squeezer is mounted on the pail; preferably the rearward edges of at least one pair of the notches N are urged by the contact between the strap and the pail into snug contact with the sides of the pail adjacent the brim when the squeezer takes its operative engagement therewith. When the lever is' swiung couziter-clo ckwisethetendency or the "squeezerto pivot bodily about the brim B at its contact therewith in the front notches N is re- -'-s"isted by contact between the strap and the pail substantially below the brim, it being preferable that the strap lie below the brim a distance consilerably greater than the shaft 6 lies above the T5 biim in rel-ation substantially as shown.

As shown especially in Figures 5-7 the side :,-plates Lia-and -2\arerigidly secured together and spaced apart by four stay bolts H, [2, l3 and IE whichpass through the upper and lower, front and rear corners thereof respectively, each bolt havmgsazshoulder or'collar-C fixedly secured at each end and :appropriate nutsandloci; washers betweenwhich the -fourcorners'of the platesare 'z'secured. 'Therea'r and fixed-pressure plated is 25 fixediyisecured to 'and carried by the-bolts-i-2 and 43 as bycbeing weldedito thecollars .C thereof, Figur es 3;:4,;'6"and -7, the plate-3 havingits upper and 'l-lowerz en'ds bent .orrounded rearwardly to overlie fmoreoriiless the-bolts-Figures 3 and4,.'andwherebyatoistiffen'thetplate'and to present smoothedges t'o dihennopi'in itsmovementrelative thereto. The

FpGSitiVe 'attachment and integration or the plate 3 to'the'bolts 12am: l3 and hence to the plates Ii and 2 stiffens the structure of my squeezer randzgi'ves desirablerigidity to the relation ofthe Tplates'and*stay bolts-andholds the bearings and guides for the movinggparts fin-proper alignment.

iRearwar dly extending, qpreiierably tapering, side Sfiange's' [Brandfl of:the plates, preferably spaced slightly-"away:iromrtheside .plates .l :and 2 extend tsubstantially therfull 'height of :the plate 3 and stifien:the.plate-zagainst' the mop squeezing pressures, 5568 Figures i6 :and '7.

' 'llheimovable "pressure plate 14 is preferably a 45 :suhstantiaheplicaof thegplate .3 departing there- 'ifrom'only in the particularspresently to be described. iIhe-pressure-plate '4 has forwardly-extendinggprefer'ably tapering, side flanges It' and 313 which lie Zadjacent to and are spaced from '50 the s'ideplates II and r2 wherewith to facilitate thesfree bOdilYiDJOVIHBD-t' of the plate i frontwardly1and1backwardlyof the squeezer between "i;l'feside?plates,igures 3 and The'movable plate 4 also has its-upper and lower edges bent or :flarediforwardly, complementing the similar "configuration of the upper and lower edges'of ithe platei'3. The plate 4 "while shown'in Figures firand fl for exampleas having-contact with the istay'tbolts *-l3l and I4 is free y movable with reso spect'thereto; the stayboltsdimiting the forward movement of the :plate and constraining it to a substantially vertical-position, Figures 2 and 3, vihenthe sq-ueeezer is inits "full open position. TheplateA is primarilysupported in the squeezer :by trunnionsm and 21 which are carried respectively at about mid height of the flanges 'f8 and l9 respectively and in the foremost por tion thereof whereby to be disposed forwardly of the center of gravity of the'plate. 'As shown in Figure 7 the trunnions each extend outwardly from the side 'fianges of the plate andextend throughhorizontally disposed slots 22 and 23in the 'si'deiplates I and 2 respectively in which the -'trunnions have close free sliding contact and guidance when the plate 4 is induce'd to move relative to the side plates and 2. Preferably each of the slots 22 and 23 have longitudinal extending outwardly disposed flanges 24 formed of the stock stricken from the side plates when the slots are made whereby to enhance the hearing areas of the edges of the slots for the support of the trunnions 20 and 2| and also for the ends of the pressure plate actuating shaft 26 presently to be described. As shown particularly in Figures 2 and 4 the forward ends of the slots 22 and 23 are notched downwardly as at 21 to a depth preferably slightly less than the radius of" the trunnions 26 and 2| and curved on about the same radius as the radius of the trunnions where with to permit the trunnions to drop to a slightly lower level than the bottom edges of the slots 22 and 23 when the plate 4 has been advanced to its foremost position as shown in Figures 2 and 3. It will be noted particularly in these figures that the plate 4 in its foremost position may stand a little lower than the plate 3 by approximately the depth of the notches 21.

Both of the flanges I8 and IQ of the plate 4 have identical and identically disposed elongated and slightly inclined apertures 28, see Figures 3 and 4, their inclination running upwardly and rearwardly as viewed: the apertures having a fore and aft dimension but slightly in excess of the diameter of the shaft 26 and the apertures having a length preferably about twice the diameter of said shaft. The shaft 26 is horizontally disposed transversely of the side plates and 2. It extends through the apertures 28, having a close but free fit therewith, and thence through the slots 22 and 23 of side plates and 2, respectively. The shaft and slots being of such relative size that they have a close but sliding and/or sliding and rolling contact. Rearward movement of the shaft 26 from its foremost position, shown in Figure 3, carries the plate 4 rearwardly to, toward or beyond the position shown in Figure 4 by contact of the shaft with the rearward edge of the apertures 28; the plate 4, however, being induced to tip from the vertical to the inclined position shown in Figure 4 by virtue of the trunnions 26 and 2| being secured in the flanges l8 and I9 at a level inducing the plate to stand vertical only when the trunnions rest in the notches 21, Figures 3 and '4. As shown in Figure 3 the shaft 26 is spaced from the upper ends of the apertures 28 when the plate 4 is in its foremost vertical position. and as the trunnions are moved from the notches up onto the lower edges of the slots 22 and 23 the plate is induced to tip to the extent of the depth of the notches 21 and the space between the upper ends of the apertures 28 and the shaft 26. My prefer ence is to make these dimensions such as to induce an initial free tipping of about -20 as shown in Figure 4. After the plate has been moved rearwardly of its foremost position sufiiciently to raise the trunnions out of the notches then rearwardly bodily movement of the shaft 26 will move the plate 4 rearwardly in its inclined position as shown in Figure 4, but if the upper portion of the plate 4 encounters greater resistance than the lower portion thereof as by squeezing a mop or portion thereof having greater mass or bulk above the level of the shaft 26 than below it, the plate 4 is still free to swing counterclockwise about the axis of the trunnions 2!! and 2|, as viewed in Figure 4, to or beyond a vertical position until the bottom of the apertures 28 contact the shaft 26. -In the form and with the .parts proportioned approximately as shown the plate 4 is free to swing counterclockwise through about 30 to 40 from the position of Figure 4, an amount which I find satisfactory for all practical purposes in squeezing a desirable wide'range of sizes and shapes of mops. Regardless of the precise angle that the plate 4 ultimately takes with respect to the vertical in its action of squeezing the mop the relative positions of the trunnions 20 and 2| with respect to the apertures 28 and the inclination of the latter always induces the plate to tend to take the inclined position, shown in Figure 4, wherewith to engage the upper portions of the mop first and initiate the squeezing of higher portions of the mop before squeezing lower portions thereof and/or to exert greater squeezing pressures upon higher as compared with lower portions of the mop or portion thereof that is being squeezed.

To induce fore and aft movement of the shaft 26 its ends are extended outwardly beyond the side plates and 2 and the slots 22 and 23 and are extended through and lie within the curved slots 29 and 30 formed in the work arms 8 and 9 respectively, see Figures 1-4; the slots29 and 30 having a width approximately equal to the diameter of the shaft 26' wherewith to have a close free sliding and/or sliding and'rolling engagement therewith and the slots 29 and 30 having length such that the shaft 26 will lie in or adjacent the forward ends of those slots when the plate is in its foremost position, Figures 1, 2 and 3, and'will facilitate the movement of the plate 4'rearwardly substantially to contact with the plate 3 beyond the position shown in Figure 4 when the lever 5 has been swung from the position shown in Figure l'to the full extent of its counterclockwise movement bringing the work arms almost to a vertical position. It will be understood, of course, that the arms 6 and 9 are identically related to the shaft 6 as are the slots 29 and 30 wherewith to transmit the same components of squeezing force from the lever to the opposite ends'of the shaft 26 during the working stroke. It will be seen especially by comparison between Figures 3 and 4 that the curvature of the slots29 and 30 taken with their disposition in space relative to the slots 22 and 23 and relative to the axis of the-shaft 6 provides an increasing mechanical advantage between the force arm of the lever 5 and the rearwardly acting component of force delivered to the shaft 26 as the plate 4 and shaft 26' are moved rearwardly. In the'position shown in Figure 3 there is a relatively low mechanical advantage in the above mentioned respect and correspondingly a relatively high rate of travel of the shaft 26 per degree of angular movement of the lever 5 at the beginning of the movement of the plate 4 from its foremost position. Thereafter as the plate is moved rearwardly the mechanical advantage is increased with a proportionate decrease in the relation of the rate of movement of the plate to the angular movement of the lever until in about the'position shown in Figure 4 whilst the mop of average size is being forcibly squeezed, a desirably high and increasing mechanical advantage is effected. 'The ends of the shaft 26, approximately flush with the outer faces of the arms 8 and 9 respectively, are appropriately shouldered and threaded wherewith washers of diameter larger than the width of the slots 29 and 30 are held on the ends of the shaft by nuts and look washers, as shown in Figures 1 and 5-7, to restrain the shaft 26 from endwise movement and constrain. it .to its-desired operative position.

7 unentionednahove, :the :shait :6 rat itheirear sof the squeezer'rserves ears the :ipivotal axisuand --iulerumlfor the lever :5. aThis shaft-ids *rotatably 'sunported for rotation about fat fixedeaxisi'lo'cated asi'showna inropeif U eshanedfrearwardlyend T80R18- what upwardly facing cbearings 32, see particu- '-larly nFigures =2 and "7, which are spreieiab'ly welded to the aoutwardly'facing SidBSl'Of "the fplates and *2 and lie 'ftransversely coextensive with similarly shaped-and disposed'notches :33 formed .in the: rearward edges of thezsidefplatesfsee Fig- 'ures :1, i4 and 6. Asshown in these "figures the :ioremostand :lnwermost'parts of the notches and bearings terminate :inr substantial semi-cylindriical surfaces of "idlMIIEfiElii-SUBSbEIIfiiEHY 'tneesame itaathe-diameterrdf ithezshaft fi 'wherewith' toisup- 'pflrt ithe illatter 1 for ime rotation therein. 'Th'e bearing surfaces of and melated to theplates E randa2erespectivelycarezaligned transversely. of the esdueezer wherewith rthe..'shaft is supported :hoiizzonta'llyandnormalzto hath the'side plates. :As :shown best inrFigures 2, .3 .and "4. it will 'be seen Ethat *the (shaft also extends through .forwardly Sand 'upwardly' extendingaligned notches :31! cut in the :rearwardl'y extending flanges IG 'ancl F! of the :fixe'd :pressure plate 3. These notches terminate :in semi-circular surfaces which face downwardly-and :slightly .rearwardlyand' lie ierwardly :of depending portions 35,.Figures .2.'3 -and '4,""-Whi(:h serve as-k'epers to secure the :shaftifrom bodily rearward displacementzaway from its intendeddispcsitionainthe bearings-M andnotches s33. 'Ihatfisto 'sayfthe' crossing direction 'of the notches 3'3 and -34 which" collectively lie around more :than "180"of the shaft 6 when the parts are assembled retain the :shaft in *its desired position forrrotation about a fixed axis. :Shallow grooves :36 are'cut in the s'haft A5 at axially-spaced spoints =tcorresponding to the :spacing of the znotches :34 wherewith "the notches collaborate with athe z'gro'oves to restrain theshaft against endwise 'smovement; "the notches 'T34:'haVlI1g.thel1 :radii'iof curvature smaller than the notches '33 to correspond with'theradii of the grooves 38. The disposition of "what =may be called crossing notchesas'the *sa'nie areviewed in Figures 2, '3 and 4 facilitates the "assembly of the parts; it being convenient to bring the shaft with :the arms *8 and 91se'cured to the "ends thereof substantiallyto'itsintended i position in the bottoms rof the bearings 32,Jthen.to:bring the: plate '3with :thelblts 12 "and l3zsecured thereto into locking orskeepingzrelation withithe shaft and thereafter bring theside plates lh'ome outlier-bolts"! 2 and i3 sliding the bearings longitudinally along the shaft 6 to -'':assemble the shaft :and :plates "and thereafter hold the assembly by the stay bolts i2 and "[3. The extreme ends of the shaft are fixedly seemed 'as by splines 'or 'weldsnr both, :not "shown, to :the w'orkzarnis 1'8 and 9, both-the latter being-nldzin mhesameeanglilarrelation to the. shaft. The r'provision ;of :the :notched and open bearings :32 and the ."retaining :notches '35 'ipermitstthe 'pres'assemblyof the arms and shaft.

ihreferablythe handle I is rattached to one -.or :th'erother' of the work arms 8 (or 39, depending on whether armor the squeezer is to be used righthandedl-y or left-handedly. Tor-this purpose the rearward ends of the arms 8 and 9 are :provided with spaced b'olt'holes "for *receiving bolts 3T "by which the l'owenfl'attened end of'therh'andle "I is :convenientlyand removably attached to'the rearward end-:of :eitherroi the wonkarms.

:It Weill doe observed that the Satiis fot the shed t [email protected] of whet-side -.plates iandi 2 lying aboutanidrheig-ht-iof-my squeezer but on1y=-at=asmall elevation above :the -brim-of the mail and somewhat forwardly of -the :rear -;pair of notches N .in the -sideiplates. :During the Working stroke-of rth'e rlever'5 the reaction from-the-torque :of the :lever .-is,.-as-mentioned above, largely taken at the-brim .of'the pail through the forward pair of-notches N flout the downward component of forcei-rom the 'lever is in greater measurediverted to :the rearward-pair :of notches Nso that in=the operation of-squeezing annop there tends to beam approximately equal orstabledistributionohpressure between all of the .notches .N .andithe'ibrim -.of the; pail.

In operation,-w-ith .thesqueezer in -its wide-open position,Figures 1, '2 and 3;themop 'iSfiIflJSS'Ed into the pail -P :through-the rlarge-=central rectangular opening-38 :oi the -squeezer, Figure 7, :and Tim- .merse'd theicontents of-thepail; the handle-of the mop dying :in the opening d3 between the side and pressure plates. "Thereafterraisingtne mop until preferably the lower end of the han'dle lies-at about theilevel of the top of the squeeaer and brings :the "body of the mop or at ilea-stwthe upper portion thereof into-position to be sq-ueezed bythe movement of the plate !:towardthemlate 3 as above described. 71f the mop :is-of-greater length than the height of the pressure plates such portion or portions of the rmop'as are *not squeezed out T011 the first squeezingoperation are merely raised up into the=squeezer=fora second or successive squeezing--operationuntilthewhole of the mop l-regardless of the amount by which itslengthexceedsthe height of the squeezer *is squeezed out. During thesqueezing'operation or operations the greater squeezing always tends :to beefiecte'd-at a higher level than the lesser squeezing wherewith to induce the fluids to-fiow downwardly within the mass ofthe mop Tand/or exteriorly thereof 1 into the 1;pail, -but withal, "the pressure plate diisalways free-toassurne a positio'n .related to the "vertical in a way that "will distribute the pressure without undesirable 'lack'sof uniformity throughout the mass of the niop that is beingsqueezed. -At no time is is necessary "to pass the mop into the pail other :than through the opening :38 of the *squeezer and -'at"=no time is it ever necessary to undertake *to squeeze any-mass-of the mop other than that which may be efliciently received within the squeeze-r .and squeezed therein.

While I have illustraited*and described aimeferred form and "embodiment "of my invention, changes, modifications :and improvements "will occur to those skilled in the art who come to understand an'dapprecia'te thefundamental irinciples thereof and l donot care'to be limited in the scopeof my patent to the-form anddetails of my invention herein specifically disclosed nor in any manner :other than by "the :claimsappendedheretd l'claimz -1. A Fmop :s'queezer adapted *to "b'e' mounted on =thebrim di a'pail, saidsqueezerhavingnbidzid side :plates arranged substantially synimetrically about the vertical-axis of the pail, theendsbf :said plates resting on the brim "of the *pail, said squeezer also having first and second laterally spaced pressure plates, :said *side and pressure plates defining a mop :receivi'ng opening in fisaid squeezer, said -first pressure splate being movable with respect to said second pressure plate,?said .side plates having horizontal slots zdepresse'd art 6 lies :eomewhat i above rthe llevel so'f time15:51:22 :th'e endsrremote fiomwsaidisedond llressure slate,

said first pressure plate having side flanges facing away from said opening and parallel with said side plates and said flanges having vertically elongated apertures, trunnions carried by said flanges more remote from said first plate than said apertures and movably supported in said slots, a movable shaft extending through said apertures and said slots for moving said first plate, said first plate being supported on said trunnions and said movable shaft, and the upper ends of said apertures having a height relative to said trunnions to permit the first plate to limitedly incline by gravity to space the bottoms of the pressure plates farther than the tops when the trunnions are moved out of said depressed slot ends and to return the first plate to the vertical position when the trunnions enter said depressed ends in the position of maximum opening between said pressure plates.

2. The mop squeezer of claim 1 in which said second pressure plate is secured to said side plates near the ends thereof remote from the first pressure plate and has fianges extending parallel to said side plates and facing away from said opening, means for moving said first pressure plate including work arms slidably engaging said movable shaft, a handle and a rotatable shaft, said work arms being attached to said rotatable shaft near its extremities, said rotatable shaft being disposed adjacent said ends of the side plates, said ends of the side plates and said flanges of the second plate having transversely aligned notches for receiving said rotatable shaft, certain of said notches opening differently than others whereby to secure said rotatable shaft against bodily removal therefrom.

3. A mop squeezer adapted to be mounted on the brim of a pail having side plates and first and second perforate pressure plates, said first pressure plate being movable with respect to said second pressure plate, said second pressure plate being secured to said side plates near the ends thereof remote from said first plate, said side plates having horizontal slots therein, means for moving said first pressure plate including a rotatable shaft carried by said side plates adjacent said ends thereof and more remote from said first pressure plate than said second pressure plate, work arms secured tothe ends of said rotatable shaft outside said side plates and rotatable with said shaft, a movable shaft engaging said first pressure plate and having its ends carried in said slots of said side plates, said work arms having curved slots therein for slidably receiving the said ends of said movable shaft whereby said movable shaft is advanced along the slots of said side plates and the slots of said work arms as said work arms are swung about the axis of said rotatable shaft.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which the axis of said rotatable shaft is adjacent the ends of the said slots in said side plates and the slots in said work arms are offset from the axis of said rotatable shaft at the ends of said arms adjacent said axis and said slots in said work arms are curved at their opposite ends to be inclined with respect to the slots in said side plates when the pressure plates are in wide open position.

5. The mop squeezer of claim 4 in which the path of movement of said work arms overlaps the path of movement of said movable shaft and defines therewith a variable angle in a vertical plane, said variable angle approaching as said Work arms are swung about the axis of said rotatable shaft to advance said movable shaft along the slots of said side plates and the slots of said Work arms toward said second pressure plate.

6. A mop squeezer having side plates and first and second perforate pressure plates, said first pressure plate being movable with respect to said second pressure plate, said second pressure plate being secured to said side plates near the ends thereof remote from said first pressure plate and having flanges extending parallel to said side plates and away from said first pressure plate, means for effecting relative movement between said pressure plates including a rotatable shaft disposed adjacent said ends of the plates, said ends of the plates and said flanges having transversely aligned notches for receiving said shaft, said notches opening in directions substantially away from said first plate, certain of said notches opening differently than others, and having at least upper portions closed to restrain upward displacement of said rotatable shaft, said side plates having aligned substantially horizontal slots therein, said means also including Work arms secured to the ends of said rotatable shaft and a movable shaft connected to said first plate and slidably supported in the slots of said side plates transversely of said side plates, said work arms having curved slots slidably receiving said movable shaft whereby said movable shaft is advanced along the slots of said side plates and said work arms and said first plate is advanced relative to said second plate as said work arms are swung about the axis of said rotatable shaft.

WILLIAM C. ROE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 63,973 Wilkins Apr. 16, 1867 551,355 Archer Dec. 17, 1895 651,518 Woods June 12, 1900 671,136 Hoffman Apr. 2, 1901 826,087 Christensen July 17, 1906 877,149 Wetmore Jan. 21, 1908 894,865 Wetmore Aug. 4,1908 942,135 Davis Dec. 7, 1909 1,271,621 Schmoliner July 9, 1918 1,434,534 Eiffe Nov. 7, 1922 1,954,648 Reitzel Apr. 10, 1934 2,275,461 Palmer Mar. 10, 1942

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