Cleaning Cloth Recess Design for Quick Mop Base Attachment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cleaning cloths for floors require frequent replacement, precise alignment, and secure attachment to a mop base, which consumes time and can lead to manual handling of dirty cloths and potential detachment during use, affecting productivity and cleaning quality.

Innovation Solution

A cleaning cloth with recesses and hollows along its longitudinal edges that align with notches on the mop base, facilitating quick, secure, and precise attachment without additional accessories, ensuring proper orientation and preventing detachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a gripping and retention device for the cloth is made intricate and/or articulated to ensure secure grip, then the reliability of cloth attachment is improved, but the time needed for alignment and attachment increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure grip of clothVSAvoidtime for alignment and attachment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The cloth is pre-formed with recesses and hollows during manufacturing that correspond to the notch positions on the base. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for operators to manually align the cloth with the base during attachment, as the geometric features guide automatic alignment, thereby reducing attachment time while maintaining secure grip through the intricate retention device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The recesses and hollows in the cloth act as intermediary geometric features that mediate between the operator and the intricate retention device. These features provide a simple alignment interface that guides the cloth into correct position before engagement with the complex gripping mechanism, reducing the cognitive and manual effort required for alignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the mop base uses a simple retention mechanism for quick cloth replacement, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of cloth grip during cleaning deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequick and easy cloth replacementVSAvoidsecure grip of cloth
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cloth is pre-formed with recesses and hollows that automatically align with notches on the base during insertion. This preliminary geometric preparation allows operators to quickly attach cloths using simple motions, while the pre-positioned features ensure reliable engagement with the retention mechanism, combining speed with security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The recesses and hollows in the cloth enable self-alignment with the base notches during attachment. The geometric features guide the cloth into correct position automatically, allowing the cloth itself to facilitate its proper installation without requiring complex operator maneuvers or intricate base mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If the cloth is attached without guided alignment features, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision of alignment between base and cloth deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesimplicity of cloth designVSAvoidalignment precision between base and cloth
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cloth is segmented with discrete recesses and hollows at specific positions along its edge. These segmented geometric features correspond to notches on the base, providing localized alignment points that guide precise positioning without requiring the entire cloth structure to be complex. The segmentation allows simple overall design with precise local features

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cloth has uniform simple structure throughout most of its area, but incorporates localized recesses and hollows at specific positions along the edge. These local geometric features provide the necessary alignment precision with base notches, while the rest of the cloth maintains simple construction, achieving manufacturing precision where needed without overall complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2836104B1Cleaning cloth fitted with a recess capable of being joined to a mop base
Publication Date: 2017.11.22 TTS CLEANING SRL
  • EP2836104B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2836104B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP2836104B1 patent drawingFigure 7

AI summary

A cleaning cloth (2), and in particular a cleaning cloth for floors suitable for being attached to a mop base (9), and fitted with special coupling devices that make it easy to attach it to the mop base and ensure it is held securely.