Walk behind floor maintenance machine
First Claim
1. A floor maintenance machine comprising a body portion supported on a plurality of wheels, said body portion carrying a rotatably driven brush and a removal hopper, said brush being adapted to sweep debris into said hopper, said body further carrying a fan for drawing an airstream through said hopper and providing a partial vacuum in the zone surrounding said brush to prevent dusting, said body portion further carrying a filter housing with a filter therein for removing dust particles from said airstream prior to entrance into said fan, the filter housing being located above the hopper, the filter housing comprising an elongated box-like structure hingedly mounted to the body portion adjacent the upper end of the housing, an opening between the hopper and filter housing to provide for air flow from the hopper to the filter housing, said filter housing having a lower sloped wall and means for vibrating said filter to dislodge adhered dust particles from said filter, the lower sloping wall being disposed relative to the opening between the hopper and filter housing such that substantially all of said dislodged particles that fall onto and slide along said sloped wall fall through the opening into said hopper.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A walk behind floor maintenance machine is disclosed including a filter and filter housing that may be pivoted away to permit removal of the debris hopper. The filter may be cleaned by vibrating the filter and filter housing. Dust vibrated from the filter slides into the hopper. The hopper may be manually removed for emptying.
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Citations
22 Claims
- 1. A floor maintenance machine comprising a body portion supported on a plurality of wheels, said body portion carrying a rotatably driven brush and a removal hopper, said brush being adapted to sweep debris into said hopper, said body further carrying a fan for drawing an airstream through said hopper and providing a partial vacuum in the zone surrounding said brush to prevent dusting, said body portion further carrying a filter housing with a filter therein for removing dust particles from said airstream prior to entrance into said fan, the filter housing being located above the hopper, the filter housing comprising an elongated box-like structure hingedly mounted to the body portion adjacent the upper end of the housing, an opening between the hopper and filter housing to provide for air flow from the hopper to the filter housing, said filter housing having a lower sloped wall and means for vibrating said filter to dislodge adhered dust particles from said filter, the lower sloping wall being disposed relative to the opening between the hopper and filter housing such that substantially all of said dislodged particles that fall onto and slide along said sloped wall fall through the opening into said hopper.
- 4. In a sweeper, a mobile frame, a cylindrical brush on the frame for propelling debris from a surface to be cleaned, a removably mounted hopper in an operative location on the frame with an opening therein for receiving and collecting debris propelled by the brush, a filter unit on the frame, a vacuum system on the frame adapted to create an air current through the hopper and filter unit to draw dust created by the brush through the hopper into the filter unit, and means for mounting the hopper on the frame so that it may be either removed from the frame for manual dumping or may be moved on the frame while at its operative location to a position in which the hopper is in a dumping disposition with the opening therein facing downwardly so that the collected debris in the hopper will fall by gravity back through the opening.
- 7. In a sweeping machine, a mobile frame, a main cylindrical brush on the frame for propelling material from a surface to be cleaned, a debris hopper mounted on the frame with an inlet opening for receiving debris propelled by the brush, the hopper being movably mounted on the frame so that it can be moved for dumping, a movably mounted filter housing with a filter therein mounted directly on the frame above the hopper and constructed and arranged to be moved on the frame between an operative position where it engages the hopper and an inoperative position where it is remote from the hopper so that the hopper may be moved and dumped, and a vacuum system on the frame to create an air current through the hopper and filter housing to prevent dusting when the hopper and filter housing are in operative position for sweeping.
- 11. In a sweeping machine, a mobile frame, a main cylindrical brush on the frame for propelling debris from a surface to be cleaned, a hopper on the frame with an opening therein disposed to receive and collect debris propelled by the brush, a filter housing with a filter element therein connected to the hopper, a vacuum fan on the frame adapted to create an air current through the filter housing and hopper to draw dust created by the brush through the hopper and filter housing to prevent dusting, and a vibrator mounted on the outside of the filter housing so that it is not in the air current created by the vacuum fan and is connected to the filter housing so as to vibrate the filter housing and the filter element therein to cause dust collected on the filter element to be dislodged.
- 13. In a sweeping machine, a frame, a cylindrical brush on the frame for propelling debris from a surface to be cleaned, a removably mounted hopper in an operative location on the frame for receiving debris propelled by the brush, a filter on the frame, a vacuum fan on the frame for creating an airstream through the hopper and filter to eliminate dusting, and a separable mounting for the hopper including means defining two separate pivot axes so that the hopper will pivot to allow large debris to pass under it, may be pivoted on the frame while at its operative location to dump without removal from the frame and also may be removed from the frame for dumping.
- 17. In a mobile sweeping machine, a mobile frame, a cylindrical brush on the frame for propelling debris from a surface to be cleaned, a hopper on the frame with an opening therein associated with the brush for receiving and collecting debris propelled by the brush, a mounting between the hopper and frame of the machine so that the hopper is movable between an operative position for receiving debris and a dumping position, a movably mounted filter housing on the frame with a filter therein above the hopper constructed and arranged to be moved between an operative position where it engages the hopper and an inoperative position where it is remote from the hopper, openings in the hopper and filter housing which are aligned when they are in their operative positions, a vacuum fan on the frame adapted to create an air current through the filter housing and hopper through the aligned openings to draw dust therethrough to prevent dusting, a seal around the aligned openings between the filter housing and hopper, and a stop mechanism on the frame preset to engage the filter housing to provide a predetermined sealing contact at the seal between the filter housing and hopper when the hopper and filter housing are in their operative positions.
- 20. In a surface sweeping machine, a mobile frame, a main cylindrical brush on the frame for sweeping debris from a surface to be cleaned, a vacuum system on the frame for creating an air current through the machine, a hopper on the frame with an inlet opening therein for receiving debris swept up by the cylindrical brush and arranged in the air current created by the vacuum system, a filter in a housing on the frame in the air current after the debris hopper constructed to remove dust particles from the air current, a floating mounting for the hopper on the frame including two pairs of disconnectable pivots, one of each pair being on each side of the hopper, the pairs being on opposite sides of the hopper'"'"'s center of mass with one pair forward of the other pair in the direction of travel of the machine, and a lever on the hopper constructed and arranged to be moved between an extended position and an inoperative position so as to be used with a mechanical advantage when in its extended position to rotate and dump the hopper.
Specification