Liquid dispensing cleaning system and methods of use

Abstract

A cleaning system including a lower unit, a liquid dispense assembly, and a reservoir unit. The lower unit includes a shaft defining an interior passage. The liquid dispense assembly is connected to the shaft and includes a housing and a drainage tube. The housing forms an open chamber. The drainage tube is carried by the housing. The reservoir unit includes a bottle and a cap. The reservoir unit is selectively retained within the chamber. The system is operable between closed and dispensing states. In the closed state, the drainage tube is displaced from the cap. In the dispensing state, a portion of the drainage tube passes through the cap for delivering liquid from the bottle to the interior passage. In some embodiments, the cap includes a bifurcating valve, and the drainage tube includes an insertion segment configured to repeatedly slide through the bifurcating valve in a non-destructive manner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cleaning system comprising:
 a lower unit including:
 a shaft defining a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an interior passage open to the first end, 
 a media holder connected to the shaft adjacent the second end; 
   a liquid dispense assembly connected to the first end and including:
 a housing forming an open chamber, 
 a drainage tube carried by the housing; and 
   a reservoir unit including:
 a bottle adapted to contain a liquid and terminating at an open end, 
 a cap covering the open end; 
   wherein the system is configured to provide a loaded arrangement in which the reservoir unit is selectively retained within the chamber;   and further wherein the system is manually operable in the loaded arrangement between:
 a closed state in which the drainage tube is displaced from the cap, and 
 a dispensing state in which a portion of the drainage tube passes through the cap for delivering liquid from the bottle to the interior passage. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a leading section, an intermediate section, and a trailing section, wherein the open chamber is formed by the intermediate section, and further wherein the leading section is configured for assembly to the shaft. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning system of  claim 2 , wherein the drainage tube is disposed within the leading section. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning system of  claim 3 , wherein the liquid dispense assembly further includes a plunger slidably coupled to the trailing section for articulating the reservoir unit relative to the drainage tube in transitioning between the closed and dispensing states. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning system of  claim 4 , wherein upon final assembly, an axis along which the plunger articulates relative to the housing is in-line with a longitudinal axis of the shaft. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning system of  claim 3 , wherein the leading section defines an orifice that is fluidly open to the interior passage upon connection of the handle assembly to the lower unit, and further wherein the drainage tube extends from the orifice. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning system of  claim 3 , wherein the drainage tube is fixed to the housing and remains stationary relative to the housing as the system transitions between the closed and dispensing states. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning system of  claim 3 , wherein the drainage tube includes an insertion segment configured to pass through a face of the cap. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning system of  claim 8 , wherein the face includes a bifurcating valve, and further wherein the insertion segment is configured to selectively pass through the bifurcating valve. 
     
     
         10 . The cleaning system of  claim 8 , wherein the insertion segment includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged splines. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaning system of  claim 3 , wherein the liquid dispense assembly further includes:
 a hub located within the leading section and slidably disposed about the drainage tube; and   a spring biasing the hub in a direction of the intermediate section to define the closed state.   
     
     
         12 . The cleaning system of  claim 11 , wherein the hub includes a shelf arranged to abuttingly engage the cap in the loaded arrangement. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning system of  claim 12 , wherein the hub further includes a platform defining a central passageway sized to slidably receive the drainage tube and a plurality of bleed holes radially spaced from the central passageway. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured such that an entirety of the reservoir unit slides relative to the housing in transitioning between the dispensing and closed states. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning system of  claim 1 , further comprising a dispensing outlet fluidly connected to the interior passage opposite the first end for dispensing liquid from the system in the dispensing state. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the media holder is a mop head. 
     
     
         17 . A liquid dispense assembly for use with a mop apparatus, the liquid dispense assembly comprising:
 a housing defining a leading section, an intermediate section, and a trailing section, wherein:
 the intermediate section forms an open chamber for selectively receiving a reservoir unit, 
 the leading section forms an interior passageway open to an end of the housing and terminating at an orifice opposite the end; 
   a plunger slidably coupled to the trailing section;   a drainage tube attached to the orifice and defining a lumen open to the chamber and the interior passageway, the drainage tube defining an insertion section for selectively interfacing with a reservoir unit; and   a hub slidably disposed about the drainage tube.   
     
     
         18 . The liquid dispense assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising a spring biasing the hub in a direction of the trailing section. 
     
     
         19 . The liquid dispense assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the hub further includes a platform, and further wherein the drainage tube includes a flange selectively bearing against the platform. 
     
     
         20 . The liquid dispense assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the insertion section includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged splines. 
     
     
         21 . A method of cleaning comprising:
 loading a first reservoir unit into a liquid dispense assembly of a mop apparatus, the reservoir unit including a bottle containing a liquid and a cap covering an open end of the bottle; and   depressing a plunger of the liquid dispense assembly to cause a drainage tube of the liquid dispense assembly to pass through the cap, the drainage tube being fluidly open to an interior passage of a shaft of the mop apparatus to dispense liquid from the bottle onto a surface to be cleaned.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of depressing the plunger includes moving an entirety of the reservoir unit relative to the drainage tube. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 releasing the plunger, including the liquid dispense assembly self-transitioning the reservoir unit away from the drainage tube.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 removing the first reservoir unit from the mop apparatus; and   loading a second reservoir unit into the liquid dispense assembly of the mop apparatus.