Floor cleaner

• US 4,956,891 A
• Filed: 02/21/1990
• Issued: 09/18/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Castex Industries, Inc. (Tennant Company)
• Inventors: Wulff, Richard F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Chris K.
• Application Number:
  US07/483,260
• Time in Patent Office: 209 Days
• Field of Search: 15/320, 15/321, 15/322, 15/353
• US Class Current: 15/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4016 specially adapted for collecting fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4058 for adjusting the height of the tool
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4075 Handles; levers
• 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

Abstract

A five in one floor cleaning machine supported on wheels intermediate the front and rear of the machine, there being adjacent the rear a clean water outlet, a scrub brush, a dirty water pickup nozzle, a clean rinse water outlet, and a dirty rinse water pickup nozzle. A pair of concentric chambers retain the clean and dirty water, the first chamber surrounding an inner chamber which is defined by a flexible spherical wall. As clean water empties from one chamber, and dirty water fills the other, the center of gravity stays substantially the same. The flexible wall of the inner chamber folds in under the force of surrounding increasing water pressure to decrease the size of the inner chamber as it empties of clean water.

Claims

1. A floor cleaning machine comprising:

a support structure including a housing thereon forming a front and a rear for said machine;

wheel means having an axle means beneath said support structure on a transverse axis intermediate said front and said rear for mobility of said machine;

handle means at the upper front of said machine for moving said machine;

floor engaging cleaning means adjacent said rear for cleaning the floor, including a clean water outlet and a dirty water inlet;

said housing having a first water retention chamber with a center of gravity rearward of said axis and substantially forward of said floor engaging cleaning means;

an inner container within said first chamber defining an inner chamber for retention of water separated from water in said first chamber;

said inner chamber being substantially symmetrical with said center of gravity;

clean water conduit means between one of said chambers and said floor engaging cleaning means clean water outlet for conducting clean water to said floor engaging cleaning means;

dirty water conduit means between the other of said chambers and said floor engaging cleaning means dirty water inlet to conduct dirty water from said dirty water inlet to said other chamber;

said first chamber extending in front of and to the rear of said inner chamber, said first chamber and said

inner chamber being located and configured to cause said center of gravity to remain substantially constant during emptying of said one chamber of clean water and filling of said other chamber of dirty water, such that downward force on said floor engaging cleaning means remains substantially constant throughout the cleaning cycle.

2. The floor cleaning machine in claim 1 wherein said outer chamber surrounds said inner container.

3. The floor cleaning machine in claim 1 wherein said inner container has flexible wall structure enabling water in said outer chamber and said inner chamber to shift said flexible wall structure as said one chamber is emptied and said other chamber is filled, without substantially shifting said center of gravity.

4. The floor cleaning machine in claim 3 wherein said first chamber surrounds said inner container.

5. The floor cleaning machine in claim 4 wherein said inner container is of partial spherical configuration.

6. The floor cleaning machine in claim 1 including a pump associated with said clean water conduit means for pumping clean water to said clean water outlet.

7. The floor cleaning machine in claim 6 including a vacuum pump operably associated with said other chamber to draw dirty water from said dirty water inlet means to said other chamber.

8. The floor cleaning machine in claim 1 wherein said floor engaging cleaning means includes a power brush.

9. The floor cleaning machine in claim 1 wherein said first chamber is the dirty water retention chamber and said inner chamber is the clean water retention chamber.

10. The floor cleaning machine in claim 9 wherein said outer chamber surrounds said inner container.

11. The floor cleaning machine in claim 10 wherein said inner container has flexible wall structure enabling water in said outer chamber and said inner chamber to shift said flexible wall structure as said one chamber is emptied and said other chamber is filled, without substantially shifting said center of gravity.

12. The floor cleaning machine in claim 11 wherein said inner container is of partial spherical configuration.

13. The floor cleaning machine in claim 12 including a pump associated with said clean water conduit means for pumping clean water to said clean water outlet;

and

a vacuum pump operably associated with said other chamber to draw dirty water from said dirty water inlet means to said other chamber.

14. The floor cleaning machine in claim 13 wherein said floor engaging cleaning means includes a power brush.

15. A five in one floor cleaning machine comprising:

a support structure including a housing forming a front and rear of said machine;

wheel means having an axle intermediate said front and rear for mobility of said machine;

handle means for moving said machine over a floor surface;

floor engaging cleaning means adjacent said rear for cleaning the floor and comprising a clean water outlet, a powered scrubbing brush adjacent said clean water outlet, a first vacuum nozzle having a dirty water inlet behind said scrubbing brush, a rinse water outlet behind said dirty water inlet, and a second vacuum nozzle having a dirty rinse water inlet behind said rinse water outlet, said brush and said first and second vacuum nozzles engageable with the floor and partially supporting said machine;

said housing having a first water retention chamber;

an inner container within said first chamber

said first chamber surrounding said second chamber;

both said first and second chambers having a center of gravity on substantially the same vertical plane which is transverse to a plane extending between said front and said rear, said vertical plane being to the rear of said wheel axis and substantially forward of said vacuum nozzles; and

both said first and second chambers maintaining substantially the same common center of gravity during emptying of one chamber and filling of the other chamber during the cleaning operation.

16. The floor cleaning machine in claim 15 wherein said inner chamber is of partial spherical configuration.

17. The floor cleaning machine in claim 16 wherein said inner container has flexible wall structure enabling water in said outer chamber and said inner chamber to shift said flexible wall structure as said one chamber is emptied and said other chamber is filled, without substantially shifting said center of gravity.

18. The floor cleaning machine in claim 17 wherein said inner container is for retaining clean water and said first chamber is for receiving dirty water;

clean water conduit means from said inner container to said clean water outlet for conducting clean water thereto, and to said rinse water outlet for conducting clean rinse water thereto;

cleaning chemical injection means to said clean water conduit means to said clean water outlet for injecting cleaning chemical;

dirty water conduit means from said dirty water inlet to said first chamber and from said dirty rinse water inlet to said first chamber, for conducting dirty water thereto;

said first chamber being filled as said inner chamber is emptied while maintaining said center of gravity substantially constant in said vertical plane.