DUAL PURPOSE FLOOR CLEANING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20070074369A1
• Filed: 10/05/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nilfisk-Advance Incorporated (Nilfisk Holding A/S)
• Original Assignee: ALTO US Incorporated (ALTO U.S.)
• Inventors: Wright, Shawn, Whitaker, Emert, Stuthers, Billy, Rowan, Leonard
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/367
• 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 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/06 with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0613 with means specially adapted for picking up threads, hair or the like, e.g. brushes, combs, lint pickers or bristles pads

Abstract

In combination, a removable tool may be selectively attached to the cleaning wand of a carpet extractor to alternatively clean hard surfaced floors, such as grouted tile and when not attached, clean carpeted floors. The removable tool may be sold as an aftermarket item for existing carpet extractors. A method of using the carpet extractor with the removable tool allows the apparatus to fulfill dual purposes, e.g., cleaning hard surfaced floors and when the tool is attached to the cleaning wand, and when the tool is removed from the wand to clean carpeted floors.

Claims

1. A removable tool to slip over a portion of the cleaning head of a carpet cleaning wand to allow the wand to also clean hard surface floors, the removable tool comprising:

a body sized and arranged to slip over a bottom portion of the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand;

the body having a front bar, a middle bar and a rear bar, the bars connected by a left and a right side walls;

a front elongate elastomeric squeegee blade depending from the front bar and positioned generally adjacent a forward edge of a vacuum shoe;

a rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blade depending from the middle bar and positioned generally adjacent a trailing edge of the vacuum shoe; and

a plurality of brushes depending from the rear bar for scrubbing the hard surface floor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the front squeegee blade and the rear squeegee blade are removable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a pair of springs, one end of each spring releasably connected to the tool and the other end of each spring releasably connected to the cleaning head to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a first clip running along a trailing edge of the front bar and a second opposing clip running along a leading edge of the middle bar, the clips sized and arranged to engage opposing shoulders of the vacuum shoe, to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

5. An apparatus for cleaning carpeted floors and hard surface floors) A dual purpose floor cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning both carpet and hard surfaced floors, the apparatus comprising:

a movable housing containing a solution tank, a recovery tank, at lease one solution pump, and at least one vacuum pump;

a hand held elongate wand having a cleaning head in contact with the floor to deliver cleaning solution to the floor and an elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from carpeted floors;

a plurality of flexible conduits connecting the hand held cleaning wand to the movable housing, one conduit delivering a cleaning solution from the solution tank to the wand and another conduit transporting dirty solution from the wand to the recovery tank;

a removable tool to slip over a portion of the cleaning head of the wand, to convert the carpet cleaning wand into a device suitable for cleaning hard surfaced floors, the removable tool including a front and a rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blade generally surrounding the elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from the hard surfaced floor and a brush to enable scrubbing of the hard surface floor when the tool is affixed to the wand.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further including a heater to heat the cleaning solution before contact with the floor.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the front and rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blades are removable.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 further including a pair of springs, one end of each spring releasably connected to the tool and the other end of each spring releasably connected to the cleaning head to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 further including a first clip running along a trailing edge of the front bar and a second opposing clip running along a leading edge of the middle bar, the clips sized and arranged to engage opposing shoulders of the vacuum shoe, to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

10. Combination wand and tool) In combination a hand held elongate carpet cleaning wand and a selectively removable tool to slip over a portion of a head of the carpet cleaning wand to convert the carpet cleaning wand into a device that is also suitable for cleaning a hard surfaced floor comprising:

the hand held elongate carpet cleaning wand having a cleaning head in contact with the floor to deliver solution to the floor, the head further having a elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from a carpeted floor; and

a removable tool to selectively slip over a portion of the cleaning head of the wand, to convert the carpet cleaning wand into a device suitable for cleaning a hard surfaced floor, the removable tool including a front and a rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blade generally surrounding the elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from the hard surfaced floor and a brush to enable scrubbing of the hard surface floor when the tool is affixed to the wand.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the front and rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blades are removable.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further including a pair of springs, one end of each spring releasably connected to the tool and the other end of each spring releasably connected to the cleaning head to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 further including a first clip running along a trailing edge of the front bar and a second opposing clip running along a leading edge of the middle bar, the clips sized and arranged to engage opposing shoulders of the vacuum shoe, to help hold the tool to the cleaning head of the carpet cleaning wand.

14. A method for cleaning both carpeted floors and hard surfaced floors including the following steps:

moving the cleaning head of a cleaning wand back and forth over a carpeted floor while selectively spraying cleaning solution on the carpet and vacuuming dirty solution from the carpeted floor;

slipping a removable tool over a portion of the cleaning head of the cleaning wand, the tool having a scrub brush and a vacuum squeegee to enable the cleaning wand to also clean the hard surfaced floor;

scrubbing the hard surfaced floor with the brush of the removable tool, selectively spraying cleaning solution on the hard surface floor and vacuuming the dirty solution from the hard surfaced floor with the squeegee.

15. In combination a tool for cleaning hard surfaced floors and a carpet extractor comprising:

the carpet extractor having;

a movable housing containing a solution tank, a recovery tank, at lease one solution pump, and at least one vacuum pump;

a hand held elongate wand having a cleaning head in contact with the floor to deliver cleaning solution to the floor and an elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from carpeted floors;

a plurality of flexible conduits connecting the hand held cleaning wand to the movable housing, one conduit delivering a cleaning solution from the solution tank to the wand and another conduit transporting dirty solution from the wand to the recovery tank;

the tool for cleaning hard surface floors having;

a body to slip over a portion of the cleaning head of the wand, to convert the carpet cleaning wand into a device suitable for cleaning hard surfaced floors, the removable tool including a front and a rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blades generally surrounding the elongate vacuum shoe to remove dirty solution from the hard surfaced floor and a brush to enable scrubbing of the hard surface floor when the tool is affixed to the wand.