Hand-held deep cleaner

• US 6,968,593 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Hansen, Eric J., Krebs, Alan J., Huffman, Eric C., Kasper, Gary A., Lenkiewicz, Kenneth M., Reed, Charles A. Jr., Tran, Phong Hoang, Miner, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Snider, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US10/064,752
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 153/20, 153/44, 153/53, 153/84, 153/77, 153/83, 153/24
• US Class Current: 15/320
• 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 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/26 with driven dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0009 with means mounted on the nozzle; nozzles specially adapted for the recovery of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0038 with means for emptying the tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0042 Gaskets; Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls

Abstract

A liquid extraction cleaner comprises a solution dispensing system, a liquid recovery system, and an agitation brush assembly. The solution dispensing system includes a cleaning solution supply tank affixed to the cleaner and fluidly connected to a solution spray nozzle through a trigger-operated manual solution spray pump. The supply conduit interconnecting the cleaning fluid supply tank and the spray nozzle traverses a passage formed integrally with the air-liquid separator housing, spray nozzle being mounted in the passage at a front portion of the cleaner. The liquid recovery system includes a air-liquid separator fluidly connected with a suction nozzle and a suction source for drawing liquid and debris into the air-liquid separator, and a recovery tank releasably mounted to the air-liquid separator for collecting recovered liquid. The agitation brush assembly is mounted in a lower forward portion of the cleaner for contact with a surface being cleaned.

Claims

1. In a hand-held liquid extraction cleaner for cleaning a surface and comprising:

a housing forming a handle at an upper portion thereof for carrying the extraction cleaner;

a liquid extraction system mounted to the housing and including;

a suction nozzle;

an air-liquid separator integral with the housing and in fluid communication with the suction nozzle, for separating air from liquid and debris;

a recovery tank in fluid communication with the air-liquid separator for collecting recovered liquid and debris separated from air in the air-liquid separator;

a vacuum source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and the air-liquid separator, whereby the vacuum source can draw liquid and debris through the suction nozzle and deposit them into the recovery tank; and

a liquid dispensing system including;

a cleaning fluid supply tank; and

a spray nozzle connected to the cleaning fluid supply tank for spraying cleaning fluid onto the surface to be cleaned;

the improvement comprising;

at least one agitator mounted to the air-liquid separator adjacent to the suction nozzle for rotation about an axis and for scrubbing the surface to be cleaned; and

a motor carried by the housing and operably connected to the agitator to drive rotation of the agitator about the axis of rotation.

2. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the recovery tank is removably mounted to the air-liquid separator.

3. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein air-liquid separator is mounted to a front portion of the housing adjacent to the suction nozzle.

4. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the suction nozzle is elongated and has a longitudinal axis, and the axis of rotation of the at least one agitator is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the suction nozzle.

5. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the motor is mounted to the air-liquid separator.

6. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the motor that drives the at least one agitator is operable independently of the vacuum source.

7. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the at least one agitator has more than two rows of bristles.

8. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the at least one agitator includes—

two agitators rotatably mounted to the air-liquid separator.

9. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 8 wherein the two agitators are driven by the motor in opposite directions.

10. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 8 wherein the suction nozzle is elongated and has a longitudinal axis, and the axes of rotation of the agitators are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the suction nozzle.

11. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 8 wherein the motor that drives the agitators is operable independently of the vacuum source.

12. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 8 wherein the agitators are brushes and each of the brushes have at least two rows of bristles.

13. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the at least one agitator has a plurality of flexible paddles extending radially therefrom.

14. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 13 wherein the suction nozzle is elongated and has a longitudinal axis, and the axis of rotation of the agitator is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the suction nozzle.

15. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 13 wherein the motor that drives the roller is operable independently of the vacuum source.

16. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the agitator comprises two rollers rotatably mounted to the housing next to the suction nozzle, each of the rollers having a plurality of flexible paddles extending radially therefrom and rotatable in a direction opposite the other.

17. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the recovery tank comprises visual indicia to indicate a maximum capacity of recovered liquid and debris.

18. The liquid extraction cleaner according to claim 1 and further comprising a lamp assembly mounted to a front portion of the air-liquid separator and connected to a source of electrical energy for illuminating the surface to be cleaned.

19. A liquid extraction cleaner for cleaning a surface and having a housing forming a handle at an upper portion thereof for carrying the extraction cleaner, and comprising

a liquid extraction system mounted on the housing and including:

an air-liquid separator at a front portion of the housing;

a suction nozzle fluidly connected to the air-liquid separator;

a vacuum source in communication with the air-liquid separator and the suction nozzle whereby the vacuum source can draw liquid and debris through the suction nozzle and deposit them in the air-liquid separator; and

a liquid dispensing system mounted on the housing and including;

a cleaning fluid supply tank;

a spray nozzle connected to the cleaning fluid supply tank for delivery of cleaning fluid onto the surface to be cleaned;

the improvement which comprises;

a lamp assembly mounted to a front portion of the air-liquid separator and connected to a source of electrical energy for illuminating the surface to be cleaned.