Mop for cleaning surfaces
The mop's folded edge design addresses the challenges of water release and sliding friction, improving cleaning efficiency and area coverage while reducing energy and manufacturing costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2022154993
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-02-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-22
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-02-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing disposable mops face challenges in achieving efficient water release and energy-saving cleaning due to high manufacturing costs and increased sliding friction, which limits their effectiveness and longevity in cleaning large areas.
A mop design featuring a textile carrier material with folded sections along its longitudinal edges, increasing the material thickness and reducing sliding friction, while allowing for increased water absorption and slower water release, thereby enhancing cleaning efficiency and area coverage.
The mop design reduces sliding friction, increases water absorption capacity, and slows down water release, enabling longer use and more extensive cleaning areas with reduced energy consumption and manufacturing costs.
Smart Images
Figure IMGF0001 
Figure IMGF0002 
Figure IMGF0003
Abstract
Description
Field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to a mop for cleaning surfaces. State of the art
[0002] Disposable mops are increasingly being used for cleaning cleanrooms and hygiene applications. These mops are designed to combine maximum cleaning performance with minimal effort. Cleaning should be effective, but also time- and space-saving.
[0003] The essential properties of a disposable mop are its water absorption, gliding properties, dirt absorption and water release.
[0004] By adding different layers, the properties of the mop are explicitly influenced. For example, a middle layer of nonwoven material is often included to increase the mop's water absorption. Ideally, a mop should release water continuously, but this is very difficult to achieve. Each additional layer increases the manufacturing effort, and cleaning costs increase accordingly, especially when using disposable mops.
[0005] Since cleaning should also be effortless, it was suggested that the sliding friction of the mop on the surface to be cleaned be reduced. In this context, the use of a textured surface was suggested.
[0006] DE-U-94 11 092 describes a mop having the features of the preamble of claim 1. Description of the invention
[0007] The invention is based on the object of proposing a mop which is optimised in terms of water delivery and effort-saving cleaning.
[0008] This object is achieved by a mop for cleaning surfaces having the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments follow from the remaining claims.
[0009] The mop according to the invention for cleaning surfaces comprises a material layer of a textile carrier material, wherein the mop has a geometry adapted to the dimensions of a substantially rectangular mop cover holder and comprises an underside which, when used on the mop cover holder when cleaning surfaces, faces the surface to be cleaned; an upper side facing away from the underside, a first longitudinal edge along the longitudinal dimension of the mop, a second longitudinal edge along the longitudinal dimension of the mop, and a first transverse edge along the transverse dimension of the mop and a second transverse edge along the transverse dimension of the mop.The mop is characterized in that the material layer is folded over at least once along the first longitudinal edge and / or second longitudinal edge in each case to such an extent that a first folded over section extends substantially parallel to the upper side of the material layer along the first longitudinal edge, and / or a second folded over section extends substantially parallel to the upper side of the material layer along the second longitudinal edge, so that in the region of the first longitudinal edge and / or in the region of the second longitudinal edge the thickness of the material layer is increased in each case.
[0010] In other words, at least one material layer of a textile carrier material is provided which is folded over along the first longitudinal edge and / or along the second longitudinal edge, so that a first folded over section is formed along the first longitudinal edge and / or a second folded over section is formed along the second longitudinal edge.
[0011] By folding the edges of a single layer of material one or more times, the mop's functionality is influenced in several ways. Firstly, folding the material layer along both longitudinal edges can be used in conjunction with a mop head holder to ensure that the mop no longer rests completely on the surface to be cleaned. This reduces sliding friction and allows for particularly efficient cleaning.
[0012] A further advantage of the inventive design is that the first folded section and the second folded section increase the amount of water that can be absorbed by the mop, while simultaneously ensuring that the water is released more slowly. In this way, a mop according to the invention can be used for a longer time until the absorbed amount of water is released, thereby increasing the area that can be cleaned with a disposable mop.
[0013] The fact that the mop according to the invention no longer rests on the surface to be cleaned during use is unproblematic, since it has been found that dirt pickup occurs primarily at the edges in the working direction, which in the case of a mop for a substantially rectangular mop head holder primarily occurs along the two longitudinal edges. Therefore, the overall dirt pickup capacity is not significantly affected by the design of the mop according to the invention with a first folded section and a second folded section.
[0014] Thus, the mop according to the invention can absorb a greater amount of water with essentially the same dirt absorption compared to a single flat layer of material, release this water more slowly during cleaning and, moreover, can be used in a power-saving manner due to the reduced sliding friction during the cleaning process.
[0015] According to the invention, the first folded portion and the second folded portion are each folded once toward the underside of the material layer.
[0016] In this case, folding is preferably carried out by an angle substantially of 180°, so that the first folded section and the second folded section each extend substantially parallel to the upper side of the material layer.
[0017] By folding the material once along the longitudinal edges, a first folded section and a second folded section are created, each of which has a material thickness twice that of the original thickness of the material layer. In other words, with this design, the material thickness of the material layer is doubled in both the area of the first folded section and the area of the second folded section.
[0018] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first folded section and the second folded section are each folded twice. This creates a triple material thickness in the area of the first folded section and the second folded section. Providing a triple material thickness increases the amount of water that can be absorbed by the mop compared to a double material thickness, with an otherwise identical area of the first folded section and the second folded section.
[0019] Preferably, in the case that the first folded-over portion and the second folded-over portion are each folded over twice, the mop is designed such that the first folded-over portion is folded over a first time towards the underside of the material layer so that a first folded-over region is present which extends along the first longitudinal edge, and the second folded-over portion is folded over a first time towards the underside of the material layer so that a second folded-over region is present which extends along the second longitudinal edge.Furthermore, the first folded portion is folded a second time toward the underside of the material layer, so that another first folded region is arranged along the first longitudinal edge, and the second folded portion is folded a second time toward the underside of the material layer, so that another second folded region is arranged along the second longitudinal edge. The first folded region, the second folded region, the further first folded region, and the further second folded region each extend substantially parallel to the upper side of the material layer.In other words, when folding the first folded section and the second folded section, the folding is carried out by approximately 180° both the first time and the second time, so that the folded region formed in each case lies substantially parallel to the planar extension of the starting material before folding.
[0020] The mop produced according to this preferred embodiment is relatively easy to manufacture since both times it is folded towards the underside of the material layer.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of a mop in which the first folded-over section and the second folded-over section are each folded over twice, the first folded-over section is folded over a first time in the direction of the underside of the material layer so that a first folded-over region is provided which extends along the first longitudinal edge, and the first folded-over section is folded over a second time in the direction of the upper side of the material layer so that a further first folded-over region is arranged along the first longitudinal edge.Similarly, the second folded portion is folded a first time toward the underside of the material layer to provide a second folded region extending along the second longitudinal edge, and the second folded portion is folded a second time toward the top side of the material layer to provide a further second folded region along the second longitudinal edge. The first folded region, the second folded region, the further first folded region, and the further second folded region each extend substantially parallel to the top side of the material layer. Furthermore, the further first folded region is arranged between the top side of the material layer and the first folded region, and the second further folded region is arranged between the top side of the material layer and the second folded region.
[0022] With the geometry of the mop according to this preferred embodiment, the first folded-over area is wrapped in the material layer. The second folded-over section has the same geometry, with the second folded-over area also being wrapped in the material layer.
[0023] Another possible design combines the two basic mop geometries described above, in which the first folded section and the second folded section are each folded twice. Thus, along one of the two longitudinal edges, the corresponding folded section can be folded both a first time and a second time toward the underside of the material layer, while the other folded section along the other longitudinal edge is folded a first time toward the underside of the material layer and a second time toward the top of the material layer. The different geometries that arise from these different folding processes also result in different properties.It makes a difference whether a single section is provided along the longitudinal edges where the material layer is folded over, or whether the material layer is first folded over once along the longitudinal edge, but then the original longitudinal edge of the material layer is positioned before the folded section is formed. In this way, the properties of the mop can be specifically influenced by the geometry of the folded sections, in addition to the finishing of the textile carrier material.
[0024] Preferably, the first folded portion and the second folded portion each have an extension in a transverse direction along the first transverse edge that is less than half the length of the first transverse edge.
[0025] In this way, it is ensured that there is an intermediate area between the folded sections formed along the two longitudinal edges in which the thickness of the material layer is not increased, which has a positive effect on the sliding friction.
[0026] It is particularly preferred that the first folded-over section and the second folded-over section each have an extension in a transverse direction along the first transverse edge that is less than 25% of the length of the first transverse edge. In this way, since at least 50% of the transverse extension of the mop does not have an increased thickness of the material layer, the sliding friction when cleaning flat surfaces is reduced in proportion to the reduction in the contact surface.
[0027] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mop has a second material layer that is connected to the first material layer. Providing multiple material layers allows the mop to be customized for different cleaning tasks and also further increases the mop's capacity for absorbing and slowly releasing cleaning fluid.
[0028] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second material layer comprises a third folded portion extending along the first transverse edge and a fourth folded portion extending along the second transverse edge, so that the thickness of the second material layer is increased in the region of the first transverse edge and in the region of the transverse edge.
[0029] A mop designed in this way provides for an increased thickness of the material layer not only along the two longitudinal edges, but also in the area of the two transverse edges, so that the advantageous effects can be achieved independently of the movement of the mop attached to an associated mop cover holder and, in particular, the sliding friction can be further reduced.
[0030] Preferably, the material layer comprises nonwoven material. The nonwoven material layer can be the only material layer or one of several. While providing two material layers increases manufacturing costs, the use of nonwoven material further increases the water absorption capacity of the mop, allowing the area to be cleaned with a disposable mop to be expanded. In this way, the increased manufacturing costs can be more than offset by the reduced area costs due to the increased water capacity.
[0031] What all embodiments have in common is that the mop is preferably a disposable mop. Short description of the characters
[0032] The following figures show various embodiments of a mop according to the invention. They show: Fig. 1a a three-dimensional view of a mop according to a first embodiment; Fig. 1b a view of a transverse edge of the Fig. 1a illustrated mop; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the transverse edge of a mop according to a second embodiment; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the transverse edge of a mop according to a third embodiment; Fig. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a mop according to a fourth embodiment. Ways to implement the invention
[0033] In the following figures, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals.
[0034] The Fig. 1aThe mop 10 shown consists of a material layer 12 that is folded over along each of its two longitudinal edges. The result is a mop that is essentially rectangular and has a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension that are adapted to the dimensions of an associated, essentially rectangular mop cover holder.
[0035] The mop cover holder need not be illustrated or described below. It may be a conventional mop cover holder, which, in its operating position, is a plate-shaped component to which a handle is articulated. The mop according to the invention can either be attached to the mop cover holder using hook-and-loop strips or has additional insertion pockets (not shown) into which pivotable folding wings of a mop cover holder can be inserted. The basic techniques for attaching a mop to a mop cover holder are known to a person skilled in the art, and the mop according to the present invention can be configured in any desired manner to be connected to a mop cover holder using one of the known attachment alternatives.
[0036] The Fig. 1aThe mop 10 shown has a top side 16 and a bottom side 14, and has a first longitudinal edge 18 and a second longitudinal edge 20. The essentially rectangular basic geometry also includes a first transverse edge 22 and a second transverse edge 24, which run essentially perpendicular to the first longitudinal edge 18 and the second longitudinal edge 20.
[0037] A first folded section 26 and a second folded section 28 are formed along the first longitudinal edge 18 and the second longitudinal edge 20. As shown in Fig. 1a and 1bAs can be seen, the material layer 12 is folded downwards, i.e. away from the top side 12 of the material layer, such that the first folded section 26 arranged along the first longitudinal edge 18 and the second folded section 28 formed along the second longitudinal edge 20 are folded by 180°, resulting in a doubling of the material thickness. The material layer 12 is preferably a nonwoven material with a nonwoven thickness of approximately 3 mm, so that in the region of the first folded section 26 and the second folded section, the material thickness of the mop is approximately 6 mm.
[0038] When designing according to Fig. 2The first folded section 26 and the second folded section 28 are each folded twice. For this purpose, starting from the flat material layer, this is folded downwards for the first time along the first longitudinal edge 18 by approximately 180°, so that a first folded area 30 is formed. Subsequently, the first folded area 30 is folded approximately in its middle in the direction of the transverse extension of the mop, which is Fig. 1a represented by reference symbol Q, is folded downward a second time, resulting in a further first folded region 34. The second fold is also made downward by approximately 180°, so that the first folded region 30 and the further first folded region 34 extend substantially parallel to the upper side 16 of the material layer 12.
[0039] The same procedure is followed along the second longitudinal edge 20. Here, too, the material of the first material layer 12, initially provided as a single layer, is folded downwards by 180° for the first time, forming a second folded-over region 32. This second folded-over region, just as along the first longitudinal edge 18, is then folded downwards by 180° approximately in the middle for a second time, forming a further, second folded-over region 36. As along the first longitudinal edge 18, the double folding along the second longitudinal edge 20 approximately triples the thickness of the material layer, since the second folded-over region 32 and the further, second folded-over region 36 each lie essentially parallel to the upper side 16 of the material layer 12.
[0040] The embodiment according to Fig. 3 differs from that according to Fig. 2in that after folding twice, a different geometry is formed, in which the further first folded region 34 is arranged between the first folded region 30 and the upper side 16 of the material layer 12, and in the same way along the second longitudinal edge 20 the further second folded region 36 is arranged between the second folded region 32 and the upper side 16 of the material layer.
[0041] The production of the different geometries for the mop according to Fig. 3 and Fig. 2 This also requires a different process. When manufacturing a mop according to Fig. 3 In a first process step, the further folded area 34, 36 is first produced before it is folded together with the folded area 30, 32 in the direction of the underside of the material layer.
[0042] As can already be seen from the comparison of the designs of the mop 10 along the first longitudinal edge 18 and the second longitudinal edge 20, the mops have a slightly different behavior with regard to the embodiment according to Fig. 2 formed material edges 44 in comparison to those in Fig. 3 shown curves 46.
[0043] The embodiment according to Fig. 4 differs from the preceding embodiments in that a further material layer 38 is provided, which is arranged along the first transverse edge 22 and the second transverse edge 24 and forms a section 40 along the first transverse edge 24 and a section 42 along the second transverse edge 24. By the design according to Fig. 4 , in which the underside 14 is facing the viewer, the sliding friction is further reduced by not only in the direction of the transverse extension of the mop, as in the embodiments according to Fig. 1 to 3, but also in the longitudinal extension the thickness of the material layer of the mop is increased in some areas, so that the sliding friction is further reduced.
[0044] Instead of the Fig. 4 However, in the design shown, a complete further, ie continuous, material layer 34 could also be provided corresponding to the dimensions of the mop, and the additional material layers in the areas 40 and 42 could be formed by a third folded section and a fourth folded section, in which the second material layer is also folded downwards by 180°.
[0045] The dimensions of the first folded portion 26 and the second folded portion are preferably such that they extend along the entire length of the first longitudinal edge 18 and along the entire length of the second longitudinal edge 20. In the transverse direction, the first folded portion 26 and the second folded portion 28 each have an extension L (see Fig. 3 ) in a transverse direction along the first transverse edge 22 which is less than half the length Q (see Fig. 1a ) of the first transverse edge 22 and is preferably less than 25% of the length Q of the first transverse edge 22.
Claims
1. Mop for cleaning surfaces, comprising a material layer (12) of a textile carrier material, wherein the mop (10) - has a geometry adapted to the dimensions of a substantially rectangular mop refill holder; and - comprises an underside (14) which, when used on the mop refill holder, faces the surface to be cleaned when cleaning surfaces; - an upper side (16) facing away from the underside; - a first longitudinal edge (18) along the longitudinal dimension of the mop, a second longitudinal edge (20) along the longitudinal dimension of the mop, and a first transverse edge (22) along the transverse dimension of the mop and a second transverse edge (24) along the transverse dimension of the mop; and - the material layer (12) along the first longitudinal edge (18) and / or along the second longitudinal edge is in each case folded over at least once to the extent that a first folded-over section (26) extends substantially parallel to the upper side (16) of the material layer (12) along the first longitudinal edge (18) and / or a second folded-over section (28) extends substantially parallel to the upper side (16) of the material layer (12) along the second longitudinal edge (20), so that the thickness of the material layer (12) is increased in the region of the first longitudinal edge (18) and / or in the region of the second longitudinal edge (20); characterised in that the first folded-over section (26) and the second folded-over section (28) are in each case folded over once in the direction of the underside of the material layer (12) .
2. Mop according to claim 1, characterised in that the first folded-over section (26) and the second folded-over section (28) are in each case folded over twice.
3. Mop according to claim 2, characterised in that - the first folded-over section (26) is folded over a first time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a first folded-over region (30) is provided which extends along the first longitudinal edge (18); and - the second folded-over section (28) is folded over a first time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a second folded-over region (32) is provided which is arranged along the second longitudinal edge (20); and - the first folded-over section (30) is folded over a second time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a further first folded-over region (34) is arranged along the first longitudinal edge (18); and - the second folded-over section (28) is folded over a second time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a further second folded-over region (36) is arranged along the second longitudinal edge; wherein - the first folded-over region (30), the second folded-over region (33), the further first folded-over region (34) and the further second folded-over region (36) in each case extend substantially parallel to the upper side (16) of the material layer (12).
4. Mop according to claim 2, characterised in that - the first folded-over section (26) is folded over a first time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a first folded-over region (30) is provided which extends along the first longitudinal edge (18); and - the second folded-over section (28) is folded over a first time in the direction of the underside (14) of the material layer (12), so that a second folded-over region (32) is provided which extends along the second longitudinal edge (20); and - the first folded-over section (30) is folded over a further time in the direction of the upper side (16) of the material layer (12), so that a further first folded-over region (34) is arranged along the first longitudinal edge (18); and - the second folded-over section (28) is folded over a further time in the direction of the upper side (16) of the material layer (12) folded over, so that a further second folded-over region (36) is arranged along the second longitudinal edge (20); wherein - the first folded-over region (30), the second folded-over region (32), the further first folded-over region (34) and the further second folded-over region (36) in each case extend substantially parallel to the upper side (16) of the material layer; - the further first folded-over region (34) is arranged between the upper side (16) of the material layer (12) and the first folded-over region (30); and - the further second folded-over region (36) is arranged between the upper side (16) of the material layer (12) and the second folded-over region (32).
5. Mop according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first folded-over section (26) and the second folded-over section (28) in each case have an extension (L) in a transverse direction along the first transverse edge (22) which is less than half the length (Q) of the first transverse edge (22).
6. Mop according to claim 5, characterised in that the first folded-over section (26) and the second folded-over section (28) in each case have an extension in a transverse direction along the first transverse edge (22) which is less than 25% of the length (Q) of the first transverse edge (22).
7. Mop according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a second material layer (38) which is connected to the first material layer (12).
8. Mop according to claim 7, characterised in that the second material layer comprises: - a third folded-over section (40) extending along the first transverse edge (22); and - a fourth folded-over section (42) extending along the second transverse edge (24) so that - the thickness of the second material layer (38) is in each case increased in the region of the first transverse edge (22) and in the region of the second transverse edge (24).
9. Mop according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one material layer comprises a non-woven material.
10. Mop according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the mop is a disposable mop.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
mop cover and mop device
DE102014008954B3