Squeegee assembly for floor surface cleaning machine

• US 5,911,260 A
• Filed: 05/08/1997
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amano Corporation
• Original Assignee: Amano Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US08/848,461
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 15/320, 15/393, 15/401, 15/402
• US Class Current: 15/401
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees

Abstract

A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine includes an elongated squeegee body, a pair of flexible front and rear blades forwardly/backwardly spacedly arranged in parallel relation on the squeegee body, and a blower for applying a sucking function to an interval between the pair of flexible blades through a vacuum hose so that a dirty liquid gathered by the pair of flexible blades after cleaning is sucked up from a floor surface for collection. The squeegee assembly further includes a dirty liquid suction guide mounted on a lower part of a suction hole, which is in communication with the vacuum hose, within the cover member and adapted to guide a sucking force of the blower, which sucking force is sent through the vacuum hose, towards an inner wall surface of the rear flexible blade.

Claims

1. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine said assembly comprising:

an elongated squeegee body;

a front blade and a rear blade arranged in parallel relation on said squeegee body;

a blower including a vacuum hose for applying a sucking function to a space between said front and rear blades to suck up dirty liquid gathered by said front and rear blades after cleaning; and

a dirty liquid suction guide disposed adjacent a lower part of a suction hole which is formed in said squeegee body and which is in communication with said vacuum hose for guiding a sucking force of said blower towards a wall surface of said rear blade within said space.

2. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein said squeegee body is a cover member and said squeegee assembly further comprises:

a support member disposed within said space for retaining said flexible blades within said cover member, and wherein said dirty liquid suction guide is disposed at a bottom surface of said support

member, has cross section that is generally L-shaped, and provides a suction port, so that the suction force of said blower sent through said vacuum hose is guided towards said wall surface of said rear blade.

3. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 2, wherein said dirty liquid suction guide provides a suction port and has a configuration that is inclined or bent with respect to the floor surface so that said suction port provided by said dirty liquid suction guide opening towards said wall surface of said rear blade is gradually opened towards said wall of said rear blade.

4. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 3, wherein a rib-like lug-like collection projection is disposed at the inner of surface of said dirty liquid suction guide in such a manner as to project therefrom so that debris is collected therein in a tangled manner.

5. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 4, wherein said debris comprises at least one of dust and waste thread.

6. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 2, wherein a rib-like lug-like collection projection is disposed at an inner surface of said dirty liquid suction guide in such a manner as to project therefrom so that debris is collected therein in a tangled manner.

7. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 6, wherein said debris comprises at least one of dust and waste thread.

8. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein said dirty liquid suction guide provides a suction port and has a configuration that is inclined or bent with respect to the floor surface so that said suction port provided by said dirty liquid suction guide opening towards said wall surface of said rear blade is gradually opened towards said wall of said rear blade.

9. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 8, wherein a rib-like lug-like collection projection is disposed at an inner surface of said dirty liquid suction guide in such a manner as to project therefrom so that debris is collected therein in a tangled manner.

10. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 9, wherein said debris comprises at least one of dust and waste thread.

11. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein a rib-like lug-like collection projection is disposed at an inner surface of said dirty liquid suction guide in such a manner as to project therefrom so that debris is collected therein in a tangled manner.

12. A squeegee assembly to be used in a floor surface cleaning machine according to claim 11, wherein said debris comprises at least one of dust and waste thread.