Self-feeding steam mop

Abstract

An easy, efficient, and self-feeding steam mop is provided. With its special design, it is economical and practical to be competitive. There are three sections inside this mop—water feeding, heating, and steaming. The check valve installed on the water feeding tube can be used not only to shut off the water flowing into the boiler when not in use so that the wooden floor or the fabric carpet will not be harmed, but also its unique baffle plate can be used to minimize the backpressure from the boiler and keeps the steam serving flow rate sufficient and continuous with no additional supplement, such as a water or an air pump. And the closed type mop head encompasses the steam not to escape. The bulged, flexible ribs keeps the fabric pad touched on the floor thoroughly, so that the temperature is high and stable and the cleaning effect is good.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A steam mop comprising
 a handle;   a steam assembly mounted under the handle and having a boiler mounted therein;   a mop head mounted on the steam assembly and connected to the boiler;   whereby water feeds into the boiler by gravity, heated by the boiler to vaporize into vapor to flow out of the mop head.   
     
     
         2 . The steam mop as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein
 the steam assembly further has
 a casing having
 a water tank mounted on a top of the casing of the steam assembly and having a water inlet and a water outlet; and 
 a vent valve mounted on a top of the water tank and being capable of releasing backpressure; 
 
 a light mounted on the casing; and 
 a control mechanism mounted on the casing and having
 a dial mounted on the casing; 
 a switch mounted securely in the casing, may be a rocker switch, is selectively switched by the dial among three different settings; and 
 a water control linkage mounted in the casing and connected to the dial so that rotating the dial moves the control linkage up or down; 
 a water control valve mounted in the casing, connected to the water tank and selectively pushed and by the water control linkage so that turning the dial drives the water control linkage to control the opening or closing of the water control valve. 
 
   
     
     
         3 . The steam mop as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the boiler is placed under the water tank, is capable of heating water and has a top and a bottom and further has
 a water inlet mounted on the bottom and connected to the water control valve through a pipe; and   a steam outlet mounted on the top and having
 a tube connected to the steam outlet and extending down to a bottom of the casing; and 
 a steam nozzle mounted on and protruding down from the bottom of the casing and connected to the tube. 
   
     
     
         4 . The steam mop as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein mop head has a rim being annular, formed around an open bottom of the mop head;
 multiple ribs mounted in the open bottom of the mop head adapted to keep a pad contacting a floor thoroughly for better mopping; and   a base cover being annular, mounted around the rim under the ribs.   
     
     
         5 . The steam mop as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the boiler has a top;
 a bottom;   a water inlet mounted on the bottom of the boiler; and   a steam outlet mounted on the top of the boiler.   
     
     
         6 . The steam mop as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein
 the dial has a transmission shaft formed on and protruding axially from the dial toward the switch and having
 an oblique abutting end selectively pressing against and pushes the rocker member into one of the positions; and 
 a driving rib formed on and protruding radially from the transmission shaft; 
   the water control linkage has
 a driven end abutting the transmission shaft of the dial and selectively pushed by the driving rib of the dial; and 
 a pressing end located opposite to the driven end.