Squeeze Mop Elastomeric Biasing for Reliable Pad Return and Low Cost
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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 insufficiently resilient cleaning pads that fail to present a flat surface for uniform 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 water removal and automatic return to the uncompressed state, utilizing a mechanical coil spring for inherent biasing and a platform section to store energy for effortless pad retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a compression mechanism is provided to forcibly revert the cleaning pad to an uncompressed condition, then the cleaning pad can be reliably returned to a flat surface for uniform cleaning, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning pad's own resiliency is utilized to return it to its initial uncompressed condition, eliminating the need for an external compression mechanism. The pad serves itself by using its inherent elastic properties to revert to a flat surface after compression, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining reliable cleaning surface geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the physical parameters of the cleaning pad by selecting materials with enhanced resiliency and elastic recovery properties. This allows the pad to maintain sufficient return force to achieve a substantially flat cleaning surface without requiring additional mechanical components, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing cost
2Ease of manufacture
If the resiliency of the cleaning pad material is increased to return it to an uncompressed condition, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the cleaning pad may not fully revert to a substantially flat surface for uniform cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The design incorporates a dynamic compression mechanism where the pad supports are movable relative to each other, allowing the pad to be compressed during use and then automatically return to its initial configuration. This dynamic system enables the pad to achieve substantial flatness through its own resiliency without requiring overly rigid or expensive materials, thus balancing manufacturing cost with cleaning surface quality
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning pad is divided into multiple segments or zones with different material properties or densities. This segmentation allows different portions of the pad to contribute differently to the overall return-to-flat behavior, enabling the use of more economical materials while still achieving the required flatness for uniform cleaning across the entire pad 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 solution provides an economic, reliable, and effective squeeze mop that efficiently removes water from the cleaning pad, ensuring a flat surface for uniform cleaning and offering corrosion-resistant properties.
Implementation Method 1
said biasing means comprising an elongate elastomeric element the two ends of which are secured to a respective one of the two cleaning pad supports
Implementation Method 2
a compressible water absorbent cleaning pad which may be squeezed to remove water therefrom
Data Source
AI summary
A squeeze mop comprises a mop head having a central head region secured relative to a handle and a pair of cleaning pad supports which are pivotally located relative to the central head region and movable towards one another to compress the cleaning pad material 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 the two ends of which are secured to a respective one of the two cleaning pad supports and wherein the head region comprises a platform section for engagement by the elastomeric element, said platform section being located closer to the handle than the at least one position about which the pad supports are pivotally located relative to the head region.