Squeeze Mop Elastomeric Biasing for Automatic Pad Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing squeeze mops are either expensive to produce or inconvenient to use, as they either rely on costly compression mechanisms or insufficient pad resiliency to revert to a flat surface for effective cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A squeeze mop design featuring a handle with a mop head containing pivotally located cleaning pad supports and an elongate elastomeric biasing element that stretches when compressed, allowing for easy pad compression and automatic return to the original position, using a platform section closer to the handle to store energy for effortless pad retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If compression mechanisms are used to forcibly revert the cleaning pad to an initial condition, then the cleaning pad can be reliably returned to a flat surface, but the cost of production increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning pad's own resiliency is utilized to return it to an initial uncompressed condition, eliminating the need for expensive mechanical compression mechanisms. The pad serves itself by using its inherent elastic properties to revert to a flat surface after compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the physical parameters of the cleaning pad material to enhance its resiliency and ability to return to a flat surface. By selecting materials with optimized elastic properties, the pad can reliably revert to its initial condition without requiring forced compression mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If reliance is placed on cleaning pad resiliency to return to an uncompressed condition, then production cost is reduced, but the cleaning pad cannot fully revert to a flat surface for uniform cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into two functional parts: a compliant cleaning pad that absorbs water and a rigid support backing that maintains structural integrity. The support backing prevents the pad from collapsing and ensures it returns to a flat surface, combining the benefits of low cost with reliable flatness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning assembly uses a composite structure combining a compressible cleaning pad material with a rigid support backing. This composite design allows the pad to be compressed for water removal while the support backing ensures the assembly returns to a flat, uniform cleaning surface.
3Productivity
If the cleaning pad is compressed to remove water, then water removal efficiency increases, but the pad requires force to be applied and may not return to original position
Solution Approach 1:
The support backing is designed to be rigid during compression to maintain structural integrity and enable effective water removal, but flexible enough to allow the pad to return to its original position. This dynamic behavior enables efficient water removal while ensuring easy retraction to a flat cleaning surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design provides an economic, reliable, and effective squeeze mop that efficiently compresses and retracts the cleaning pad, ensuring a flat surface engagement with floors while being corrosion-resistant and easy to use.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate elastomeric element the two ends of which are secured to a respective one of the two cleaning pad supports... movement of the pad supports towards one another under the action of an applied force will stretch the elastomeric element which in consequence will inherently then tend to move as supports away from one another when the applied force ceases to act
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A
Figure 2A
AI summary
A squeeze mop (10) comprises a mop head (12) having a central head region (13) secured relative to a handle (11) and a pair of cleaning pad supports (14) which are pivotally located relative to the central head region and movable towards one another to compress the cleaning pad material (17) therebetween, the mop head further comprising biasing means to rotate the two pad supports away from the position at which the cleaning pad material is compressed between the pad supports, said biasing means comprising an elongate elastomeric element (30) the two ends (31) of which are secured to a respective one of the two cleaning pad supports (14) and wherein the head region (13) comprises a platform section (36) for engagement by the elastomeric element, said platform section being located closer to the handle (11) than the at least one position (15) about which the pad supports are pivotally located relative to the head region.