US2975004A - Connection device - Google Patents

Description

March 14, 1961 A. SAFIANOFF 2,975,004

CONNECTION DEVICE Filed Jan. 6, 1958 INVENTOR.

g6 30/ 5 Q CZZzerZ Scafzimafi United States Patent CONNECTION DEVICE Albert Safianolf, Chicago, 11]., assign'or to Gem Incorporated, Byhalia, Miss., a corporation of Mississippi Filed Jan. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 707,320 1 Claim. (Cl. 306-19) The present invention relates to a connection device, and more particularly to an inexpensive and easily operated connecting unit for removably joining one element, such as a handle, to another element such as a work member.

The present connecting device may be employed to advantage in a variety of tool assemblies and work saving devices, and it has been found to be particularly useful, for example, in joining dust mop heads of a well known type, to dust mop handles. Dust mop heads of the kind referred to comprise a dust collecting mop unit that may include a pocket formed on its upper side into which a resilient wire frame may be removably inserted. In any event, the upper side of the mop unit is provided with a laterally or'transversely extending pivot bar to which the mop handle must be fastened in such a way as to permit easy pivotal raising and low ering of the handle. In mop heads that employ the pocket and resilient wire frame arrangement just referred to, the pivot bar is usually an integral part of the removable frame, but in other types of mop heads the transverse pivot bar is often a fixed part of the head. In both kinds of mop heads the device heretofore generally used for joining the mop handle to the transverse pivot bar has been a metal clamp fixed upon the lower end of the handle and provided with a pair of jaws that are tightened about the pivot bar by a wing-nut or the like. Most housewives are well acquainted with the fact that these prior devices tend to scar furniture and tend ultimately to become rusted and difficult to remove from the mop head, such removal being desired at times when the mop head is to be. laundered. Manufacturers of such mops are also well acquainted with the fact that that the prior clamp devices have been relatively expensive to manufacture and assemble prior to the sale of the mops. All things being considered, the prior devices for fastening handles to mops, in spite of their long use, have never been altogether satisfactory to the housewife or to the manufacturer.

One of the objects of the present invention is to pro vide a highly improved and simplified connecting device for joining a handle to a Work member, the device in its preferred form being inexpensively formed, if desired, entirely of moldable plastic material not subject to rust or corrosion and not likely to scar furniture or cause other damage when used in connection with dust mops or other devices employed within the home. Still another object of the invention is.to provide a single-piece connecting device for joining a handle, or the like, to a rod or bar of a work member, the connecting device being provided with means by which it may easily and quickly be secured to the rod or bar. Yet another object of the invention is to provide. a connecting device, of the char: aot'er just stated wherein the single-piece structure comprises a seat into which thebar or rod may be received and comprises an integral, flexible strap or tongue that is flexed across'the'opening of the seat and then anchored i'n -the flexed'position toinsure against inadvertent removal of the bar or rod fromthe seat, thereby securing.

the connecting .device to the rod or bar. Yet another object of the invention is to provide in the connecting device just referred to, a novel and easily operated construction for anchoring the flexible strap or tongue in its flexed position. Another object of the invention is to provide a connecting device of the character stated, formed of a suitable plastic deformable material which can readily receive and grip the pivot bar of an associated work member and further will grip the bar at any desired adjusted position and tend to hold the bar at that adjusted position by applying a braking action thereto A further object of the invention is to provide a connector of the character stated, having an improved structure for mounting a handle thereon.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the present connecting device is shown utilized in a dust mop structure. In the drawing, wherein like reference numerals have been utilized to designate like parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mop including a handle, a mop head and a connector made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention for interconnecting the handle and the mop head, a portion of the handle being broken away for convenience in illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical longitudinal section taken through that portion of the con.- nector which grips the pivot bar of the mop frame, substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a bottom elevational view of the head of the connecting device substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view further illustrating the interconnection between the connecting device and the mop handle, the connector head being shown with its tongue or look flange in the non-locking position in solid lines and in an intermediate or locking position in broken lines;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the structure of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4. I

There is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing a dust mop assembly generally designated by the numeral 10 and including a handle 12, the connecting device 14 and a dust mop head generally designated by the numeral 16. The mop head per se is of a well known construction -including a support frame 18 have a pair of support arms 20 interconnected by a pivot bar 22 (see also Figs. 2 and 3). The support arms 20 are received in a cloth pocket 24 to which are sewn the mop strings or elements 26. e

The connector 14 serves to interconnect the mop handle 12 and the mop supporting frame 18, the connector 14 more particularly being attached to. the pivot bar 22 of the frame 18. The connector 14, it will be seen, is formed of one piece and is constructed so as to require no accessory parts to connect it to the handle 12 and the mop supporting frame 18. To this end, the connector 14 is formed of a suitable plastic material, such as poly.- ethylene, which has sufiicient elasticity and resilience ,to

permit the ready assembly ofthe connector 14 with the to the connector 14 or the handle 12. Byformiug the connector 14 of plastic material it can be readily manufactured by standard molding procedures to provide a relatively inexpensive part. Furthermore, the connector 14 when formed of polyethylene is structurally sufliciently Strong to withstand the abuse encountered in use. It is to be understood that other suitable'plastic materials having like physical properties may be utilized as a substitute for the preferred material'of construction, which is polyethylene plastic.

The general construction of the connector 14 may be best seen in Fig. 4. The connector 14 includes a cylindrical socket or handle receiving portion 28 and a pivot bar grasping head 30 which are interconnected by a neck 32. Preferably, the cylindrical socket portion 28 has an internal diameter such as to receive the end of the handle 12, and there is provided within the socket an inwardly extending annular flange 34 which is adapted to lie in a circumferentially extending groove 36 formed in the associated end of the handle 12 when the handle has been inserted into the socket. The groove 36 is part-circular in cross section, as is the flange 34, whereby the flange 34 fits Within the groove 36 removably to interconnect the connector 14 and the handle 12, the resilience of the material of construction of the connector 14 permitting the grooved end of the handle 12 to be relatively easily received Within the cylindrical socket.

The head portion 30 of the connection device includes a generally cylindrical portion 38 having the axis thereof disposed perpendicular or transverse with respect to the axis of the cylindrical handle receiving portion 28. The portion 38 is provided with a pair of jaws defining a cylindrical opening 42 extending axially therethrough and has a slot in the forward edge thereof, the slot extending in a direction parallel to the axis of the cylindrical portion 38. The confronting surfaces 40 defining the slot are shaped to facilitate insertion of the pivot bar 22 through the slot, and the diameter of the opening 42 in the cylindrical portion 38 is such as to receive and seat the pivot bar 22 therein.

In order to insure that the pivot bar 22 is retained within the opening 42, a tongue-like lock flange or flap 44 has been provided on the connector head 30, as shown. In the unlocked position the lock flange 44 is substantially rectangular in plan view, as seen in Fig. 5, and is also rectangular in cross-section as viewed in Fig. 4. One end of the tongue-like strap or lock flange 44 is integrally connected to the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 38. The outer end of the lock flange'44 has formed integrally thereon a downwardly and reversely directed flange 46, this flange preferably being disposed at an angle of about 75 with the undersurface of the lock flange 44, as viewed in Fig. 4. The free end of the flange 46 is provided with a locking head 48 which is generally triangular in cross-sectional shape and is pointed, the appearance thereof in cross-section being like an arrow head to) provide a pair of upwardly directed locking surfaces The lock flange 44 is sufficiently thin to be flexible whereby it can be folded to the position illustrated by dashed lines in Fig. 4 and the locking head 48 moved to a position adjacent to a complementarily shaped groove 52 that is formed in the lower part of the cylindrical portion 38, as viewed in Fig. 4. Thereafter the locking head 48 may be inserted in the groove 52 as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

In order to facilitate the entry of the locking head 48 into the groove 52, the connector head 30 is provided with a downwardly extending guide surface 54 adapted to abut against one of the inclined surfaces 56 of the locking head 48 as the head approaches the groove 52. The surface 54 guides the head 48 through a restricted opening 58 and into the groove 52. The groove 52 is provided with a pair of retaining surfaces 60 whichare adapted to receive and bear against'the surfaces 50 on the locking head 48. r

4 Once the locking head 48 has been seated in the groove 52, as illustrated inFig. 2 of the drawing, the cooperating surfaces 50 and '60 prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the locking head 48 from the groove 52. Furthermore, .the flexible lock flange 44 is positioned such as to close the opening between the surfaces 40 (see particularly Fig. 2), to prevent inadvertent removal of the pivot bar 22 from the connector head 30. The resilience of the material serves to grip the locking head 48 within the connector head 38. Similarly, the walls of the opening 44 in the cylindrical portion 38 are urged against the surfaces of the pivot bar 32. As a result, the pivot bar 22 is firmly and resiliently gripped by the connector head 30 at any adjusted position of the connector 14 with respect to the pivot bar 22. This results at least in part from the fact that the material of construction of the connector 14 is a plastic such as polyethylene which has a surface that will grip other surfaces, such as the metal surface of the pivot bar 22.

The cylindrical socket 28 and the connector head 30 are joined by the neck 32. As may be better seen in Fig. 6 of the drawing, the neck 32 includes a cylindrical portion 62 which is in general alignment with the axis of the handle receiving socket 28 and is connected substantially centrally of the connector head 30. A first pair of reinforcing flanges 64 is provided on each side of the cylindrical portion 62 and a second pair of tapered reinforcing flanges 66 extend radially outwardly from the portion 62, as may be best seen in Figs, 4 and 6 of the drawing. This construction of the neck 32 permits a certain amount of flexibility thereof while maintaining the strength of the neck when the connector is formed of a suitable plastic material such as polyethylene.

An important feature of the connector 14 of the present inventioh is the ease with which it can be assembled with the handle 12 and with the mop supporting frame 18. When the connector 14 is first made, it has a general shape and configuration illustrated best in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the handle 12 not having been inserted in the cylindrical portion 28. If desired, the handle 12 may first be assembled with the connector 14 by simply inserting the grooved end thereof into the cylindrical socket portion 28. The flange 34 eventually will snap into position in the groove 36 firmly to interconnect the bandle 12 and the connector 14.

Next the frame 18 may be assembled on the connector 14 or, alternatively, the frame 18 may be assembled first on the connector 14, followed by insertion of the handle '12 in the cylindrical socket portion 28. In assembling the mop supporting frame 18 with the connector 14, the pivot bar 22 is inserted between the surfaces 40 to seat it firmly within the opening 42 provided in the connector head 30, the slot defined by the surfaces 40 being temporarily spread as the pivot bar is passed therethrough into the opening 42. During this portion of the assembly operation, the lock flange 44 is in the extended position illustrated by solid lines in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Next the lock flange 44 is flexed or bent to the position illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 4. This places one of the go forward surfaces 56 of the locking head 48 in contact with the guide surface 54. Further pressure applied to the lock flange 44 and the head 48 thereof moves the head into the groove 52 to the position illustrated in Fig.

2 of the drawing, the restricted opening 58 being tem- 65 porarily spread as the head 48 moves therethrough into the groove 52. With the locking head 48 so inserted in the groove 52, the cooperating surfaces 50 and 60 on the locking head 48 and on the connector head 30, respectively, prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the locking head 48 from the connector head 30. The locking flange 44 is in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 whereby to block the groove formed by the surfaces 40 thereby positively retaining the pivot bar 22 within the connector head 30. In adidtion, by reason of the tension in the locking flange 75 44 and by reason of the size of the opening 42, the walls w nna 5 of the opening 42 are urged against the surface of the pivot bar 22, thereby tending to grip the bar 22. As a result, the mop head 16 can be placed at any desired angular position with respect to the axis of the connector 14 and the handle 12 and will retain such adjusted position due to the frictional braking action of the connector head 30 upon the pivot bar 22.

The connector 14 will positively and firmly interconnect the handle 12 and the mop head 16 in use. Furthermore, the semi-flexible construction of the neck 32 will facilitate use of the mop assembly 10. if it is desired, either the handle 12 or the mop head 16 may be removed for repair or replacement.

It will be seen that there has been provided a connection device which fulfills all of the objects and advantages set forth above. Although one preferred form of the invention has been shown and described for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention should be limited only as set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

A unitary connecting device formed entirely of plastic material for joining a handle to a work member having a pivot bar, said device comprising a handle receiving member having a substantially cylindrical opening therein defining a socket to receive an associated handle, a flexible neck formed integral with said handle receiving member and extending therefrom and in general alignment with the axis of said opening therein, a connector head formed integral with said neck and including first and 6 I a second normally spaced apart jaws defining a split sleeve adapted to receive and substantially to encircle an as sociated pivot bar, the opposed outer surfaces of said jaws normally being spaced apart a distance less than the distance required to receive a pivot bar therebetween and being deformable away from each other to permit passage of the pivot bar therebetween, a lock flange formed integral with said first jaw and extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to be drawn over the outer sur faces of said jaws, a second flange formed on the outer end of said lock flange and disposed at an acute angle therewith and extending toward said second jaw, a locking head formed integral with the free end of said second flange and being substantially triangular, in cross section and having locking surfaces disposed toward said lock flange, said second jaw having a groove therein adapted to receive said locking head, said groove defining a pair of retaining surfaces adapted to receive and hold the locking surfaces on said locking head to hold said lock flange in position drawn over the outer surfaces of said jaws to maintain said jaws in the closed position thereof to retain the pivot bar therebetween, and a guide surface formed on said second jaw disposed to guide said locking head into said groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,123,784 Mulder 2 Jan. 5, 1915 2,015,582 Badgley Sept. 24, 1935 2,240,155 Closson Apr. 29, 1941 2,492,566 Geyer Dec. 27, 1949 2,609,236 Myshock Sept. 2, 1952

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