The invention relates to a mop body according to the preamble of claim 1 for cleaning textiles.

The invention relates also to a mop body manufacturing method according to claim 12.

Mops are currently often provided with extra features mounted on the mop body for diversifying floor mopping performed with a cleaning textile attached under a plate head of the mop. Such features includes, among others, holders for dust cloths on top of the mop body and a water wiping lip for removing water from the floor. One of the major problems with these current so-called multi-purpose mops is that the attachment type of a cleaning textile to the mop body is often such that it deteriorates over time. Among other things, the common Velcro attachments for a base plate of the mop body become weaker along with repeated times of fastening and releasing the attachment between the cleaning textile and the mop's plate head, thus necessitating a replacement of the Velcro fastener or, in a worst case scenario, the entire plate head.

A second highly significant drawback in current multi-purpose mops with extra features lies in the fact that the mop body therein is commonly made up of several mutually connectable separate pieces, which increases manufacturing costs considerably.

Still another notable drawback in current multi-purpose mops is the difficulty of gaining access thereby e.g. under low pieces of furniture as a result of the type of mutual mounting between a mop body and a pushing handle.

The invention is intended for eliminating the drawbacks mentioned in the foregoing prior art. Accordingly, it is a first objective of the invention to provide a mop body, wherein the type of attachment between a cleaning textile and a base plate of the mop body does not weaken along with repeated times of attaching and removing the cleaning textile. The intention is to maintain a mop body structurally as simple as possible without compromising features and functions of the mop body.

A further objective of the invention is to provide a mop body, wherein the type of mounting between the mop body and a pushing handle enables the mop body, and thereby a cleaning cloth attached to a base plate of the mop body, to be pushed to cramped and hard-to-reach places, such as under pieces of furniture.

The foregoing objectives are attained with a mop body of the invention and its manufacturing method.

The mop body according to the invention is characterized by what is presented in claim 1 . More specifically, the invention relates to a mop body for a cleaning textile, said mop body comprising an elongated enclosure whose cover is provided with a pivotable fastener capable of having a pushing handle fitted therein, and having an elongated base plate, which is associated with the cover of said enclosure, provided with attachment elements for a cleaning textile. The polymer-constructed enclosure of the mop body has its cover made in a single piece by joining to each other a harder casing member of the cover and a softer outfitting member of the cover, whereby the cover has a bottom edge of its casing member provided with an elongated base plate of the enclosure that has integrated therewith a plurality of cleaning textile attachment elements, each of which consists of an array made up by adjacent rigid hooks, each hook thereof protruding from the surface of a base plate area, whereby two adjacent base plate areas, provided with an array of hooks, are always separated by a base plate area not provided with hooks.

The invention relates also to a method for manufacturing a mop body, particularly to a method for manufacturing a mop body according to claim 1. The mop body comprises an elongated enclosure whose cover is provided with a pivotable fastener capable of having a pushing handle fitted therein, and having an elongated base plate, which is associated with the cover of said enclosure, provided with attachment elements for a cleaning textile, said method comprising at least the following method steps of:

- attaching a casing member of the cover, made of a harder polymer material such as thermoplastic, and an outfitting member of the cover, made of a softer polymer material such as elastomer, permanently to each other by welding, and particularly by injection molding, for producing a polymer-constructed cover for the mop body enclosure, - integrating with the elongated base plate a plurality of cleaning textile attachment elements fabricated preferably from a material of the base, each of which consists of an array of hooks made up by adjacent rigid hooks, by injection molding the arrays of hooks on separate base plate areas, such that each hook of an array of hooks protrudes from a surface of the base plate area, whereby two adjacent base plate areas, provided with an array of hooks, are always separated by a base plate area not provided with hooks,

- joining to a bottom edge of the cover's casing member permanently, such as by welding, an elongated base plate of the enclosure.

The attachment elements, which are permanently integrated with the mop body's base plate and each of which consists of arrays of hooks made up by rigid hooks and integrated with the base plate, are capable of providing a long-standing and permanently reliable attachment effect between a cleaning textile and the base plate notwithstanding repeated detachments and re-attachments of the cleaning textile from and to the attachment elements of the base plate.

Preferably, the attachment elements are integrated with a base plate by injection molding during the course of a base plate manufacturing process.

Preferably, the attachment elements consist of elongated areas, which extend along an edge of the base plate, are made of the base plate material, and each of which is provided with columns of hooks whose lengthwise orientation is co- directional with the base plate's outer edge closest to this particular area of the base plate provided with an array of hooks. Hence, each array of hooks comprises a column of hooks 31 1 d made up by successive identical lines of hooks, wherein two successive lines of hooks c are always separated by an equal distance in the direction of the base plate. The mop body has the cover of its enclosure constructed in a single piece by joining a casing member of the cover, made of a harder polymer such as plastic, and an outfitting member of the cover, made of a softer polymer such as elastomer, permanently to each other, particularly by injection molding. Thereby is accomplished a major benefit in the sense that the resulting mop body will be simple in terms of manufacturing technique and wear resistant in spite of an abundant outfitting level of the mop, such as cloth holders and a liquid wiper, which have been integrated directly with the cover of the mop body. What is achieved as an extra bonus is that the features integrated with a mop body have a secure attachment with the mop body.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the (outer) rim extending around a cover of the mop body has been deflected downward for a bottom edge of the cover, and the enclosure cover consists of two identical crowns between which extends a flat portion at a level lower than the crowns in a view from the cover's bottom edge, i.e. from the level of a base plate. The pivotable fastener, on the other hand, consists of a mounting bracket, including an attachment pin with an associated swivel joint to which is coupled an adapter in a way to enable its pivoting in a lengthwise direction of the cover. Now, by arranging the mounting bracket's attachment pin, which functions as a laterally directed pivot axle, on the flat portion of the cover, the adapter is capable of being coupled with the mounting bracket in a way to enable the adapter to be pivoted at the flat portion in a lateral direction of the mop body around the mounting bracket's attachment pin which extends in a lengthwise direction of the mop body in the proximity of a surface of the flat portion. Thereby is accomplished an important benefit in the sense that the resulting mounting of a mop body and a pushing handle will be such as to enable the mop body to be pushed into tight spaces. The fastener consists preferably of a mounting bracket pivotable in a lateral direction of the mop body and provided with an attachment pin, said mounting bracket being capable of having coupled therewith an adapter in a way to enable its pivoting in a lengthwise direction of the mop body, whereby at least the attachment pin is arranged on a flat portion of the casing member in a way to enable its pivoting in a lateral direction of the mop body, such that the attachment pin has its ends extending into the interior of crowns present on either side of the flat portion.

The invention will now be described even in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures:

Figs. 1A and 1 B show a mop body from various viewing angles, fig. 1A in a direct plan view, and fig. 1 B in a posterior view from a direction IB of fig. 1A; Figs. 2A-2C show a mop body casing from various viewing angles, fig. 2 shows the enclosure in a direct plan view, fig. 2B in a direct posterior view from a direction JIB of fig. 2A, and fig. 2C in a posterior view obliquely from the left, i.e. from a direction IIC of fig. 2A;

Figs. 3A and 3B show a base plate for the mop body casing in views from above and from below, respectively; Figs. 4A and 4B show a casing member and an outfitting member for the mop body enclosure in a viewing angle obliquely from above;

Fig. 5 shows in a perspective view a mounting bracket of the fastener: Fig. 6 shows in a perspective view an adapter of the fastener;

Figs. 7A and 7B show a support for the fastener in a perspective view, as well as in a direct lateral view; Fig. 8 illustrates an interior structure of the mop body enclosure.

Fig. 9 shows a structure for one attachment element of the base plate.

Next follows a brief review regarding which detail of the invention is to be illustrated by each figure, as well as regarding the main structures shown in the figures.

Figs. 1 and 2 show from slightly different viewing angles a mop body 1 , whereby figs. 1A and 1 B depict an enclosure 2 with its cover 20 fitted with a fastener 6 intended for a pushing handle, while figs. 2A-2C show a mop body from which such fastener has been omitted.

Figs. 1-2 depicts a mop body 1 , which consists of an elongated enclosure 2 whose cover 20 is constructed by injection molding in a single piece and is capable of being equipped/having been equipped with a separate pivotable fastener 6 capable of having a pushing handle (not shown in the figures) fitted therein through the intermediary of an adapter 62 of the fastener 6. The mop body 1 is constructed from polymer and its cover 20 consists of a casing member 4 and an outfitting member 5. An elongated base plate 3, which is associated with the cover 20 of the mop body's 1 enclosure 2 and whose shape is consistent with a cross-sectional profile of the cover 20, is provided with attachment elements 31 for a cleaning textile (cleaning textile is not shown in the figures).

What is additionally apparent from figs. 1-2 is how the mop body has its cover 20, its crowns 8, provided with sites for cloth holders 51 , and further how the cover 20 has its leading edge provided with a liquid wiper 53. The attachment elements 31 according to the invention, integrated with the base plate, have a structure thereof illustrated in figures 3B and 9.

Figs. 4A and 4B show the structure of a casing member 4 and an outfitting member of the cover 20.

Figs. 5-7 illustrate, on the other hand, the structure of a pushing handle fastener 6 to be placed on crowns 8; 8', 8" and a flat portion 44 of the casing member 4 of the cover 20. The fastener 6 consists of a mounting bracket 61 pivotable in a lateral direction of the mop body and provided with an attachment pin 61 1 functioning as a pivot axle. The mounting bracket 61 is capable of having coupled therewith an adapter 62 in a way to allow pivoting of the latter in a lengthwise direction of the mop body.

Fig. 8 visualizes the structure for an interior 7 of the enclosure 2, and the base plate 3 in a view from the direction of the interior 7. Between the enclosure cover 20 and the base plate 3 associated therewith are constructed upright supports 9 which extend in the interior 7 of the hollow enclosure 2.

Fig. 9 visualizes the structure of an attachment element 31 integrated with the base by injection molding, and an individual hook 31 b thereof.

The invention will now be described in even more detail with reference to the foregoing general description of the figures and to the figures.

An important aspect of the invention is fabrication of the casing cover 20 for single piece by injection molding. The cover 20 of an enclosure 23 consists of two higher crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8" (in a view from the level of the base plate 3) and of a lower flat portion 4 left between the crowns (again in a view from the level of the base plate 3). The flat portion 44 extends coplanarly with a base 42 of the crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8" and the plane of flat portion's surface is substantially co-directional with the base plate 3.

The crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8" are identical and therebetween extends a flat portion 44 which is lower than the crowns 8 in a view from the plane extending by way of a bottom edge of the cover 20. The flat portion 44 has its surface roughly parallel to the base plate.

On the other hand, the cover 20 of the enclosure 2, i.e. the crowns 8 and the flat portion 44, can also be said to consist of a casing member 4 and an outfitting member 5 connected to each other by injection molding, as shown in figs. 4A and 4B. Preferably, the cover 20 has been made for a single piece by using injection molding for joining to each other the cover's casing member 4 of a harder polymer such as thermoplastic and the cover's outfitting member 5 of a softer polymer such as elastomer. In this case, the casing member 4 is made up by the flat portion 44 as well as a base portion 82 of the crowns 8. The casing member 4 constructed from a suitable plastic consists of base portions 82; 82' and 82; 82" of the identical crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8", between which is left the flat portion 44. The outfitting member 5, on the other hand, comprises an upper portion 81 of the crowns 8 provided with holes for a cloth holder 51 and a liquid wiper 53 present at a leading edge of the cover. Between the upper portions 81 ; 81 81 " of the crowns exists a vacant space whose surface area is consistent with that of the flat portion 44 left between the base portions 82; 82' and 82; 82" of the casing member's crowns.

Each base portion 82' or 82" of the crown, included in the casing member 4, is provided with two types of throughgoing apertures 821 ; 821 a and 821 ; 821 b to which are connected, by injection molding, holes 811 in the upper portions 81 ; 81 ', 81 " of the crowns included in the outfitting member 5 for constructing cloth holders 51 a and 51 b present in the crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8". The outfitting member 5 has two types of holes 51 1 , which are connectable to the apertures 821 of the crown's base portion 82 and which are denoted in fig. 4B with reference numerals 811 a and 811 b. Said holes 81 1 in the upper portion 81 ; 81 ', 81 " of the crowns 8; 8', 82" are either narrow elongated slits 811 b, provided in the crowns' upper portions 81 ; 81 ', 81" made of elastomer, or slits 811 a extending radially in several directions from a small central opening.

Hence, each cloth holder 51 a or 51 b of the crown 8; 8', 8" consists of a throughgoing aperture 821 a or 821 b in the base portion 82; 82 or 82; 82" of either one of the crowns, as well as of a hole 81 1a or 811 b at a respective location in the upper portion 81 ; 81 Or 81 ; 81 " of either one of the crowns.

The liquid wiper 53 is an elongated material bridge linking the upper portions 81 ; 81 ', 81 ', which is fastened at the crowns' upper portions 81 ; 81 ' and 81 ; 81 " to the leading edge thereof.

Joining by injection molding or otherwise the casing member 4 and the outfitting member 5, visible in figs. 4A and 4B, will result in a single-piece structure for the cover 20 of the enclosure 2 as visible in fig. 1 , wherein between the crowns 8; 8' and 8; 8" exists the flat portion 44 lower than the crowns. Along the leading edge of the crowns 8 or the flat portion extends the wiper 53 and the crowns 8 are provided with two types of cloth holders 51. The fastener 6 has its adapter arranged crosswise of the cover at the flat portion. An important aspect of the invention is integration of the attachment elements 31 with the base plate in such a way that the attachment elements 31 are constructed from a base plate material, especially from plastic making up the casing member material. This enables a cleaning textile to be repeatedly removed from the attachment elements 31 of the base plate 3 and fixed to the attachment elements 31 of the base without substantially undermining the attachment elements' holding capacity.

As can be seen from figs. 1 and 2, a rim 41 extending around the cover 20 of the casing 2 has been deflected downward for a bottom edge 41 a of the cover. To the attachment with the cover's bottom edge 41 a is welded the elongated base plate 3 having a shape which is consistent with the cross-sectional profile shape of the cover 20. It is seen from fig. 3B how with the elongated base plate 3 associated with the cover's bottom edge 41 a has been integrated, by injection molding during the course of a base plate manufacturing process, an array of cleaning textile attachment elements (31 ; 31 ¹ , 31 ² ... ), and from fig. 9 can be seen the structure of one individual attachment element 31. Each attachment element (31 ; 31 ¹ , 31 ² ... ), as shown in fig. 9, consists of an array of hooks 31 1 b made up by adjacent rigid hooks 31b. In the array of hooks, each hook 31 b made from a base plate material protrudes from the surface of a base plate area 31 a, i.e. is directed away or downward from the base plate 3 in a view from the cover 20. Two adjacent base plate areas 31 a, 31 a, provided with an array of hooks 311 b, i.e. an attachment element 31 , are always separated by a base plate area 31 c which is not provided with hooks 31 b. In the embodiment of a base plate according to the invention shown in fig. 3, the base plate 3 carries two types of attachment elements, which differ from each other primarily in terms of the number of hooks included in an array of hooks 31 1 b. Different arrays of hooks 31 1 b are denoted in fig. 3B with symbols 311 b ¹ and 311 b ² .

As seen from fig. 9, a single array of hooks 311 b consists of a column of hooks 31 1d made up by several identical lines of hooks 311c successive in a lengthwise direction of the array of hooks, wherein two successive lines of hooks 311c, 311 c are always separated by an equal distance in the direction of the base 3. In each line of hooks 31 1 c, extending in a lateral direction of the array of hooks, there are always a specific equal number of adjacent hooks 31 b, wherein between adjacent hooks there is always the same distance, whereby the lines of hooks 311 c have always a width that remains the same in a lateral direction of the column of hooks 31 1d and the array of hooks 211 b. The shape of an individual hook 31 b is visible in fig. 8 up on the right, and it comprises a stem having its top end provided with two similar grappling claws 31 b1 ; 31 bl \ 31 b1 ² . The width of an area 31 a of the base plate 3 claimed by an array of hooks 31 1 b is therefore mainly determined by the width of a line of hooks 31 1 c and the number of successive lines of hooks 311 c in a lengthwise direction of the array of hooks, as well as by the distance between successive lines of hooks 311 c. Since within each line of hooks 311 c, the distance between adjacent hooks 31 b is the same, the difference in dissimilar arrays of hooks 311b ¹ , 311 b ² is primarily the extent of a portion 31 a claimed by each array of hooks out of the base plate area 31a in a lengthwise direction of the column 31 1d of an array of hooks, i.e. how many successive lines of hooks 311 c are included in a column of hooks 311 d of the array of hooks 31 1b.

As seen from fig. 9, each array of hooks 311 b is disposed in the proximity of a base of the multi-purpose mop 3, such that the lengthwise direction of a column of hooks 31 1 d in an array of hooks 31 1 b is always co-directional with an outer edge of the base plate 3 present in alignment with the array of hooks 31 1 b.

The cover 20 for a multi-purpose mop has been provided with a capability of being pushed into low spaces, such as under pieces of furniture, by arranging the mounting between the cover and a pushing handle (not shown in the figures) to be such that, in practice, the pushing handle can be pivoted so as to become almost aligned with the base plate 3 resting on a floor surface. In order to achieve this objective, first of all, the attachment between the mounting bracket 61 of the fastener 6 and the cover 20 has been provided in such a way that the attachment pin 611 of the mounting bracket 61 is configured as a pivot axle, which extends in a lengthwise direction of the cover and which extends in the proximity of a surface of the flat portion 44 present between the crowns 8, said flat portion being co-directional with the base plate 3. Secondly, an adapter 62 is fixed to a swivel joint component 61 included in the mounting bracket 61 and having a width which in a lengthwise direction of the cover 20 is less than the width of the flat portion 44. An attachment point 610a between the adapter 62 and the mounting bracket 61 is located above the crowns 8 when viewing the crowns from a direction of the base plate. This embodiment of the invention achieves an important benefit in that the resulting mounting between a mop body and a pushing handle will be such that it enables the mop body to be pushed into low spaces. Thereby, the adapter 62 is arranged to be connected to the attachment pin 611 of the mounting bracket 61 set on a low part of the mop body, i.e. on the flat portion 44, such that the adapter 62 is pivotable at the flat portion 44 in a lateral direction of the mop body around said attachment pin 611 , the latter itself being adapted to extend in a lengthwise direction of the mop body in the proximity of a surface of the flat portion 44.

The fastener 6 is constructed from the adapter 62, as well as from a mounting bracket connected thereto. The adapter 62 has a cross-sectional profile for example in the shape of a circle, whereby it can be fitted with a rod type pushing handle with a circular cross-section. The adapter 62 attaches to a swivel joint component 610 present at an upper part of the mounting bracket 61 of the fastener 6 with an articulated joint which allows the adapter 62 to swivel around the attachment point 610a (pivot point) between the swivel joint component 610 and the adapter in a lengthwise direction of the cover 20.

The mounting bracket 61 is set very close to a surface level of the flat portion 44 by way of the attachment pin 611 (pivot axle) in a lower part of the mounting bracket. The flat portion 44 is provided with a groove 441 , which extends in a lengthwise direction of the cover 20 from a flat portion-bordering edge 8a' of the first crown 8' to a flat portion-bordering edge 8a" of the second crown 8". The attachment pin 61 1 is now installed so as to extend on top of the groove 441 co- directionally with the groove 441 and its ends 611 ¹ , 61 1 ² are accommodated in an interior 71 of the crowns in alignment with the groove 441 of the flat portion 44. The attachment pin 61 1 may have its bottom surface, which is to be in contact with the flat portion surface 44, further provided with a protrusion 613 capable of being fitted in the groove 41 of the flat portion surface 44. On the other hand, it is a friction brake established by the ends 61 1 ¹ , 61 1 ² of the attachment pins and the ends of supports 612 which can be used to impede rotation of the attachment pin 61 1 functioning as a pivot axle and thereby to prevent the mounting bracket 61 , and the pushing handle connectable thereto by way of the adapter 62, from making a turning motion transverse to a lengthwise direction of the cover, thus providing positional stability between the pushing handle connected to the adapter 62 and the cover 20 in a lateral direction of the cover.

In the interior 71 of the crowns 8, on an internal surface 83 of the crowns are mounted supports 612 for the ends of attachment pins, inside which the ends 61 1 ¹ , 61 1 ² of the attachment pins are capable of being accommodated. The supports 612 are preferably pocket-shaped or cup-shaped formations, which are mounted at one side thereof on an internal surface of the crown's interior 71 and which converge in a vigorously conical manner at the ends thereof (see figs. 7A and 7B). Each end 611 ¹ , 611 ² of the attachment pin 61 1 is provided with a groove 61 1a, which extends transversely of the attachment pin and which, jointly with a conical end 612a of the support 612, makes up a friction brake when in contact with said end 612a of the support. Above has been described a multi-purpose mop, wherein the mop body enclosure has its cover (20) constructed for a single piece by joining to each other in a permanent manner, for example by injection molding, a casing member (4) of the cover, made of a harder polymer such as plastic, and an outfitting member (5) of the cover, made of a softer polymer such as elastomer. Injection molding is a manufacturing method for complex shaped bodies. It involves the injection of melt plastic into a mold in which it cools for a desired shape. Being continuous, the injection molding machine is often a very highly automated batch process, the cycle of which can be divided into eight partially simultaneous segments:

1. Closing a two-part mold consisting of segments adapted to be fitted to each other 2. Injection: melt plastic into the mold

3. Repressurization: compensates for the shrinking of plastic as it cools

4. Dosage: into the injection molding machine's cylinder a new batch of melt plastic

5. Cooling: solidification of a product in the mold

6. Opening the mold

7. Ejection of a solid body, here ejection of the cover 20

8. Pause period: finished bodies drop from between mold halves The outfitting member and the casing member for the cover of a mop body according to the invention were joined to each other with the foregoing method, which comprised steps 1 -8. List of reference numerals

Mop body 1

Enclosure 2

Cover 20

Base plate 3

Internal surface 30

Attachment elements 31 ; 311..318

Base plate area with hooks 31 a

Rigid hook 31 b

Array of hooks 311 b; 311 b ¹ , 311 b ²

Line of hooks 311 c

Column of hooks 31 1 d

Base plate area without hooks 31 c

Base plate edge 31 e

Base plate aperture (cloth holder) 32

Casing member 4

Rim 41

Bottom edge 41 a

Crown base portion 82; 82', 82"

Aperture in crown base portion 821 ; 821a, 821 b

Flat portion 44

Groove in flat portion (outer surface) 441

Outfitting member 5

Cloth holder 51 ; 51 a, 51 b

Liquid wiper 53

Upper portion of crown 82; 82', 82"

Hole in upper portion of crown 81 1 ; 81 1a, 811 b

Fastener 6

Mounting bracket 61

Bracket attachment pin 61 1 ; 61 1 , 61 1 ²

End of attachment pin 61 1 a Support for the end of attachment pin 612

Protrusion of attachment pin 613 Swivel joint component for bracket 610

Adapter 62

Adapter pivot 62a

Enclosure interior 7 Crown interior 71

Flat portion interior 72

Crown 8, 8', 8"

Crown base portion 82; 82', 82" Aperture in crown base 821 ; 821a, 821 b Upper portion of crown 81 ; 81', 81" Hole in the upper portion of crown 821 ; 821a, 821 b Crown edge 8a; 8a ¹ , 8a"

Internal surface of enclosure 80

Internal surface of crown 83

Internal surface of flat portion 440

Support in crown interior 9