Tiltable Mop Head With Pivoting Wings for Easy Wringing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brooms with cleaning heads are difficult to use and wring out due to their size and rigidity, requiring large buckets and complex wringing devices that are unstable and often bulky, making them inefficient and unhygienic.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning head with a base and two wings that pivot, allowing it to fold into a U-shape for easy immersion and wringing, featuring a biasing device for automatic return to the working position and a locking mechanism for stability, along with a bucket with a perforated basket for efficient centrifugal wringing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning head is made rigid with a rectangular shape for efficient cleaning and corner access, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but the broom becomes difficult to immerse in buckets and wring out
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning head incorporates movable wings that can pivot between extended and retracted positions relative to the base. This dynamic configuration allows the head to adapt its shape: extended for cleaning efficiency and retracted for easy immersion in buckets and wringing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning head is divided into a base and multiple wings that can move independently. The wings are articulated to the base, allowing them to be raised or lowered. This segmentation enables the head to change its overall geometry from a large rectangular shape to a more compact form factor.
2Ease of operation
If large buckets are used to accommodate the rigid cleaning head for soaking, then immersion is possible, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The movable wings allow the cleaning head to be compacted to a smaller volume when not in use, enabling immersion in standard-sized buckets without requiring oversized containers. The wings can be raised during immersion and lowered during cleaning operations.
3Ease of operation
If complex wringing devices with scrapers or rollers are placed at the top of the bucket, then wringing function is provided, but the devices are difficult to use due to bucket instability
Solution Approach 1:
The wringing function is extracted from the bucket and transferred to the cleaning head itself. The head is designed to be wrung by hand or with simple devices attached to the broom handle, eliminating the need for complex scrapers or rollers mounted on unstable buckets.
4Ease of operation
If the cleaning head is straightened along the handle for wringing operations, then wringing access is improved, but manual operation becomes unhygienic
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning head is designed to perform its own wringing operation through integrated features such as textured surfaces or grooves on the wings that facilitate water extraction when pressed together. The user can wring the head by applying pressure with both hands without needing to straighten it along the handle, maintaining hygiene.
5Ease of operation
If bulky wringing devices are attached to the broom handle, then wringing capability is provided, but the broom's ability to pass under furniture is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wringing capability is extracted from separate bulky devices and integrated into the cleaning head itself through the movable wing mechanism. The wings can be pressed together to wring the cleaning pad, eliminating the need for additional attachments on the broom handle that would increase its profile.
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 a broom that is easy to maneuver, store, and wring out efficiently, with improved stability and reduced risk of tipping, allowing for effective cleaning and storage while maintaining hygiene and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
the head includes at least one biasing device configured to bias a wing to its rest position
Implementation Method 2
a bucket with a perforated basket for efficient centrifugal wringing
Data Source
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AI summary
Cleaning head and broom for easy to use surface cleaning and wringing as well as a bucket adapted for its wringing. According to the invention, the cleaning head comprises an attachment portion (51) adapted to attach the cleaning head (50) to a broom handle (10), a base (60) mounted at the lower end of the (51) via a hinge (80), and at least two wings (70a, 70b) extending from opposite side edges of the base (60), each wing (70a, 70b) being capable of pivoting relative to the base (60) between a rest position, in which it extends substantially in the extension of the base (60), and a raised position, so that the cleaning head (50 ) can be maneuvered between a working position, substantially rectilinear, in which the wings (70a, 70b) are in their rest positions, and a fallback position, substantially U-shaped, in which the wings (70a, 70b) are in their raised positions.