Apparatus and method for cleaning surfaces

• US 20050236012A1
• Filed: 04/05/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Arnie Sepke, Christer Kontio, Thomas Josefsson
• Original Assignee: Arnie Sepke, Christer Kontio, Thomas Josefsson
• Inventors: Kontio, Christer, Josefsson, Thomas, Sepke, Arnie
• Application Number:
  US11/098,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20050236012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/34 Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/26 Other cleaning devices with liquid supply arrangements such arrangements on floor-polishing machines A47L11/00, on scrapers A47L13/03, on mops A47L13/22; cloths, pads, or the like containing cleaning agents A47L13/17, A47L13/19
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2203/0229 Suction chambers for aspirating the sprayed liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/026 Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/02 by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned B08B7/0007 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for cleaning surfaces having the steps of depositing a cleaning fluid onto the surface from a cleaning fluid reservoir on a wet extractor, contacting the surface with a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner, applying ultrasonic vibrations to the surface using the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner to help release soil form the surface, and removing the cleaning fluid and soil using the wet extractor. A wet extractor having an ultrasonic cleaning component is also provided. Further provided is a combined cleaning system having a cleaning device and a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner. The cleaning device has a dirt receptacle, a nozzle adapted to be positioned adjacent a surface to be cleaned, and a vacuum source adapted to generate a working air flow from the nozzle to the dirt receptacle. The hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner includes an ultrasonic wave generating source, an ultrasonic cleaning head adapted to be driven by the ultrasonic wave generating source, and a control switch adapted to selectively activate the ultrasonic wave generating source. Multiple variations thereof are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a surface, the method comprising:

depositing a cleaning fluid onto the surface from a cleaning fluid reservoir on a wet extractor;

contacting the surface with a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner;

applying ultrasonic vibrations to the surface using the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner to help release soil from the surface; and

removing the cleaning fluid and soil from the surface using the wet extractor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

agitating the surface with a mechanical agitator on the wet extractor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

depositing a rinsing fluid onto the surface from a rinsing fluid reservoir on the wet extractor; and

removing the rinsing fluid from the surface using the wet extractor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing a second fluid onto the surface from a second fluid reservoir separate from the wet extractor and the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing a second fluid onto the surface from a second fluid reservoir on the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

6. An ultrasonic wet extractor comprising:

a base assembly adapted to be moved on a surface to be cleaned;

a handle assembly pivotally connected to the base assembly and adapted to be used to direct the movement of the base assembly;

one or more fluid supply tanks;

a fluid deposition system adapted to deposit at least a first fluid from the one or more fluid supply tanks onto the surface;

a fluid recovery tank;

an extraction nozzle mounted on the base assembly and positioned to face the surface;

a vacuum source adapted to create a working air flow from the extraction nozzle to the fluid recovery tank; and

an ultrasonic vibration device, mounted in the base assembly adjacent the surface and adapted to impart ultrasonic vibrations to the surface.

7. The ultrasonic wet extractor of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more fluid supply tanks is mounted on the base assembly.

8. The ultrasonic wet extractor of claim 6, wherein the one or more fluid supply tanks comprise a water supply tank and a detergent tank.

9. The ultrasonic wet extractor of claim 6, wherein the recovery tank is mounted on the base assembly.

10. The ultrasonic wet extractor of claim 6, wherein the ultrasonic vibration device comprises:

a laterally-extending carrier bar;

a plurality of cleaning heads mounted to the carrier bar; and

one or more ultrasonic drivers adapted to impart ultrasonic vibrations in the plurality of cleaning heads.

11. The ultrasonic wet extractor of claim 6, wherein the ultrasonic vibration device is movable, relative to the base assembly, in a direction perpendicular to the surface.

12. A combined cleaning system comprising:

a cleaning device comprising;

a dirt receptacle;

a nozzle adapted to be positioned adjacent a surface to be cleaned;

a vacuum source adapted to generate a working air flow from the nozzle to the dirt receptacle; and

a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner comprising;

an ultrasonic wave generating source;

an ultrasonic cleaning head adapted to be driven by the ultrasonic wave generating source; and

a control switch adapted to selectively activate the ultrasonic wave generating source.

13. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, further comprising a mount to hold the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner on the cleaning device.

14. The combined cleaning system of claim 13, wherein the mount comprises a holster on the cleaning device adapted to receive the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

15. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the cleaning device further comprises an electrical circuit adapted to provide electricity to the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

16. The combined cleaning system of claim 15, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a flexible electrical cord connecting the cleaning device to the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

17. The combined cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the cleaning device further comprises a cordreel adapted to selectively retract the flexible electrical cord into the cleaning device housing.

18. The combined cleaning system of claim 16, wherein the flexible electrical cord is selectively disconnectable from at least one of the cleaning device and the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

19. The combined cleaning system of claim 15, wherein the cleaning device comprises a holster adapted to receive the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner, and the electrical circuit comprises an electrical terminal adapted to engage a corresponding electrical terminal on the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner when the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner is inserted into the holster.

20. The combined cleaning system of claim 19, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises rechargeable batteries.

21. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises an electrical cord and is adapted to be powered by a wall outlet.

22. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises one or more batteries.

23. The combined cleaning system of claim 22, wherein the one or more batteries are rechargeable, and the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises a battery charging circuit.

24. The combined cleaning system of claim 23, wherein the battery charging circuit comprises an electrical circuit selectively attachable to a corresponding electrical circuit in the cleaning device.

25. The combined cleaning system of claim 24, wherein the battery charging circuit further comprises a visual indicator that indicates the operating status one or more features of the combined cleaning system.

26. The combined cleaning system of claim 25, wherein the visual indicator indicates the charging status of the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

27. The combined cleaning system of claim 23, wherein the battery charging circuit comprises an electrical cord adapted to engage a wall outlet, the electrical cord being selectively detachable from the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

28. The combined cleaning system of claim 23, wherein the battery charging circuit comprises electrical prongs located on the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner, the electrical prongs being adapted to selectively engage a wall outlet.

29. The combined cleaning system of claim 28, wherein the electrical prongs are selectively retractable into the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner.

30. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises an audible signal generator adapted to create a human-audible sound when the ultrasonic wave generating source is activated.

31. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner further comprises a fluid supply reservoir mounted thereto.

32. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, further comprising a fluid supply reservoir adapted to be stored on the cleaning device.

33. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the cleaning device further comprises:

a base assembly adapted to be moved on a surface to be cleaned;

a handle assembly pivotally connected to the base assembly and adapted to be used to direct the movement of the base assembly.

34. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the cleaning device is a wet extractor, and further comprises:

one or more fluid supply tanks;

a fluid deposition system adapted to deposit at least a first fluid from the one or more fluid supply tanks onto a surface to be cleaned; and

wherein the dirt receptacle comprises a recovery tank and the nozzle comprises an extraction nozzle.

35. The combined cleaning system of claim 12, wherein the cleaning device is a vacuum cleaner, and wherein the dirt receptacle is a vacuum bag or a dirt cup.

36. A combined cleaning system comprising:

a wet extractor comprising;

one or more fluid supply tanks;

a fluid deposition system adapted to deposit at least a first fluid from the one or more fluid supply tanks onto a surface to be cleaned;

a recovery tank;

an extraction nozzle adapted to be positioned adjacent the surface to be cleaned;

a vacuum source adapted to generate a working air flow from the extraction nozzle to the recovery tank; and

a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner adapted to be selectively mounted on the wet extractor, the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner comprising;

an ultrasonic wave generating source;

an ultrasonic cleaning head adapted to be driven by the ultrasonic wave generating source; and

a control switch adapted to selectively activate the ultrasonic wave generating source.

37. The combined cleaning system of claim 36, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner is selectively electrically attachable to the wet extractor.

38. A combined cleaning system comprising:

a vacuum cleaner comprising;

a dirt container;

a nozzle adapted to be positioned adjacent the surface to be cleaned;

a vacuum source adapted to generate a working air flow from the nozzle to the dirt container; and

a hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner adapted to be selectively mounted on the vacuum cleaner, the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner comprising;

an ultrasonic wave generating source;

an ultrasonic cleaning head adapted to be driven by the ultrasonic wave generating source; and

a control switch adapted to selectively activate the ultrasonic wave generating source.

39. The combined cleaning system of claim 38, wherein the hand-held ultrasonic spot cleaner is selectively electrically attachable to the vacuum cleaner.