Floor-cleaning appliance

• US 20100218323A1
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Merz, Juergen, Beer, Melanie
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/98
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4075 Handles; levers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4091 Storing or parking devices, arrangements therefor; Means allowing transport of the machine when it is not being used

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor-cleaning appliance having a housing, on the underside of which is disposed at least one floor-cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance, for the purpose of cleaning a floor surface, can be guided manually by the user in an operating direction along the floor surface. In order to develop the floor-cleaning appliance such that it can be transported in a simple manner, it is proposed according to the invention that the floor-cleaning appliance has transporting wheels which are adapted to be rotatably fixed by the user, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on wheel bearings disposed on the side of the housing.

Claims

1. Floor-cleaning appliance having a housing, on the underside of which is disposed at least one floor-cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance, for the purpose of cleaning a floor surface, can be guided manually by the user in an operating direction along the floor surface, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance has transporting wheels which are adapted to be rotatably fixed by the user, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on wheel bearings disposed laterally on the housing.

2. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the transporting wheels, when not in use, can be positioned on or in at least one storage device of the floor-cleaning appliance.

3. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 2, wherein the storage devices are configured as wheel holders on which the transporting wheels can be retained in a non-displaceable manner.

4. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance is adapted to be transferred out of an operating position, which the appliance assumes for the purpose of cleaning the floor surface, into a transporting position, in which the floor-cleaning appliance can be transported, wherein the transporting wheels fixed on the wheel bearings are spaced apart from the floor surface in the operating position of the floor-cleaning appliance and in contact with the floor surface in the transporting position of the floor-cleaning appliance.

5. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance has two transporting wheels, which, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, are adapted to be fixed on sides of the housing that face away from one another such that they can be rotated about a common axis of rotation, and wherein, for transporting purposes, the floor-cleaning appliance is adapted to be pivoted about the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

6. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 5, wherein the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels is aligned parallel to the operating direction of the floor-cleaning appliance.

7. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 6, wherein the at least one floor-cleaning tool is offset, in relation to the center axis of the floor-cleaning appliance, in the direction away from the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

8. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 6, wherein impact-protection elements are disposed on the side of the housing, this side being remote from the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

9. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance has a pivotable pushing frame and an arresting member, wherein the pushing frame, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, is adapted to be arrested in the vertical position by means of the arresting member.

10. Floor-Cleaning appliance according to claim 9, wherein the arresting member is adapted to be moved back and forth between an arresting position and a release position.

11. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 9, wherein the arresting member is adapted to be pivoted about a pivot axis.

12. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 9, wherein the arresting member is disposed above the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

13. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein a respective fixing device is disposed on the wheel bearings for the purpose of fixing the transporting wheels.

14. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 13, wherein the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub and the wheel bearings each comprise a bearing bushing which accommodates the axle stub, wherein the axle stubs are adapted to be arrested in an axially non-displaceable manner in the bearing bushing by means of the fixing device.

15. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 14, wherein the fixing device has at least one clamping element for the purpose of arresting an axle stub in the bearing bushing.

16. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 15, wherein the axle stubs have an annular groove in which a clamping element engages automatically when the axle stubs are introduced into a bearing bushing.

17. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 15, wherein the fixing device has an actuating element for the purpose of releasing the arresting action of the axle stub.

18. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 17, wherein the actuating element is configured as a pushbutton which can be actuated to transfer the clamping element out of a clamping position into a release position.

19. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 2, wherein the storage devices are disposed on a pushing frame of the floor-cleaning appliance at a distance from the housing.

20. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 2, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance has two storage devices that face away from one another.

21. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 3, wherein the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub, and wherein the wheel holders each have a mount into which an axle stub can be plugged.

22. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 21, wherein the axle stubs are adapted to be clamped in the mounts.

23. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance is configured as a scrubber dryer.