US 5,440,778 AGranted

Multiple purpose wringer

AssigneeMicronova Manufacturing, Inc.

InventorJoselito De Guzman

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Abstract

An adjustable wringer can wring a variety of different types and sizes of mops, wipes, sponges and other wringable items for use in cleaning clean rooms. The wringer has two side plates situated in a spaced relationship relative to one another, each of the side plates having a slot. The wringer has a lever which has a handle and a rod. The handle has side posts, with the lower end of each side post being rotatably mounted to a respective side plate, and a handle bar extending across and connecting the upper ends of the first and second side posts. The rod is attached at each end to a handle side post, with each end of the rod passing through a respective slot in the side plates. The wringer also has a crank which has a crank handle and a rotatable crank shaft that extends from one side plate to the other. A substantially lint-free, flexible web is attached at one end to the rod and at the other end to the crank shaft. Once a wringable item has been placed in the wringer, the rod may be moved adjacent to the crankshaft. The crank handle may then be rotated to tighten the flexible web about the wringable item, thereby wringing the item. The wringer may additionally include low-friction bushings to replace the lubricating oils and greases typically found in wringers, thereby making the wringer suitable for sterilization in an autoclave.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An adjustable wringer for use in cleaning clean rooms which can wring a variety of different types and sizes of mops, wipes, sponges and other wringable items, the wringer comprising:

first and second side plates, said first and second side plates being situated in a spaced relationship relative to one another, said first and second side plates each having a transverse slot;
a lever comprising:
a) a handle having first and second handle side posts, each side post having an upper end and a lower end, said first post being rotatably mounted at its lower end to said first side plate and said second post being rotatably mounted at its lower end to said second side plate, said handle further comprising a handle bar which is interposed in between and connected to said upper ends of said first and second side posts;
and
b) a rod attached at one end to said first side post and attached at its other end to said second side post, with one end of said rod passing through said slot of said first side plate and the other end of said rod passing through said slot of said second side plate;
a crank having a crank handle and a rotatable crank shaft, said crank shaft extending from said first plate to said second plate;
and
a substantially lint-free, flexible web which is attached at one end to said rod and which is attached at its other end to said crank shaft;
wherein said wringer has an open position in which said rod is spaced a distance from said crank shaft and in which a user may place a wringable item of a variety of different dimensions onto said web from above, and a closed position in which said rod is substantially adjacent to said crankshaft and in which the flexible web substantially envelopes the wringable item, said lever being movable from said open to said closed position;
whereby the user may rotate the crank handle in said closed position to tighten the flexible web about the wringable item, thereby wringing the item.

7 more elements

An adjustable wringer for wringing a variety of different types and sizes of mops, wipes, sponges and other wringable items, the wringer comprising:

first and second side supports, said first and second side supports being situated in a spaced relationship relative to one another, said first and second side supports each having a slot;
a movable bar, with one end of said bar passing through said slot of said first side support and the other end of said bar passing through said slot of said second side support;
a crank having a crank handle and a rotatable crank shaft, said crank shaft extending from said first side support to said second side support;
a flexible web which is attached at one end to said bar and which is attached at its other end to said crank shaft;
wherein said wringer has a loading position in which said bar is spaced a distance from said crank shaft and in which a user may place a wringable item of any of a variety of different dimensions onto said flexible web, and a wringing position in which said bar is relatively closer to said crank shaft and in which the flexible web substantially envelopes the wringable item, said movable bar being movable along said slots from said loading position to said wringing position;
whereby the user may rotate the crank handle in said wringing position to tighten the flexible web about the wringable item, thereby wringing the item.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.