The present invention relates to the field of cleaning implements, and, more particularly, to the field of electrically operated mops for spraying cleaning liquids onto a floor.
The literature is replete with products capable of cleaning hard surfaces such as ceramic tile floors, hardwood floors, counter tops and the like. In the context of cleaning floors, numerous devices are described comprising a handle and some means for absorbing a fluid cleaning composition. Such devices include those that are reusable, including mops containing cotton strings, cellulose and/or synthetic strips, sponges, and the like. While these mops are successful in removing many soils from hard surfaces, they typically require the inconvenience of performing one or more rinsing steps during use to avoid saturation of the material with dirt, soil, and other residues. These mops therefore require the use of a separate container to perform the rinsing step(s), and typically these rinsing steps fail to sufficiently remove dirt residues. This can result in redeposition of significant amounts of soil during subsequent passes of the mop. Furthermore, as reusable mops are used over time, they become increasingly soiled and malodorous. This negatively impacts subsequent cleaning performance.
While there is a desire to provide mops which are convenient and adept at soil removal, there is a further need to provide these mops in a form which is easy to ship and assemble by a consumer. Still further, there is a desire to provide cleaning mops which facilitate proper assembly by a consumer and which are ergonomic and easy to use.
A cleaning implement is provided. The cleaning implement includes a liquid delivery system for providing a cleaning liquid to a surface to be cleaned having a canister for storing a liquid, an electrical motor driving a pump, and a voltage source for engerizing the electric motor. A support head is pivotally attached to the handle for releasably receiving a cleaning sheet. The handle includes a switch and is formed from a plurality of handle sections. Each handle section has at least one electrical connector which is electrically connected with an electrical connector of an adjacent handle section so that the switch can activate the electrical motor. The support head can be configured to allow visual inspection of the cleaning sheet through the support head during use. The canister is provided with plurality of side walls and vent valve having a cracking pressure of at least about 0.4 Kpa, wherein the canister is substantially in the form of a parallelogram in a plan view cross section and wherein one or more of the side walls have a plurality of grooves.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds