Automatic cart wash apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for cleaning a wheeled stock cart having a basket with a latticeconstruction, said apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum stage comprising;
a blower for directing forced air though the wheeled stock cart, said forced air dislodging debris from the wheeled stock cart; and
a suction system drawing said forced air and debris away from the wheeled stock cart;
a cleaning stage following said vacuum stage, said cleaning stage comprising a nozzle assembly for spraying a selected liquid onto the wheeled stock cart;
a drying stage following said cleaning stage, said drying stage comprising a dryer positioned to direct forced air onto the wheeled stock cart; and
a conveyance mechanism comprising;
a runway providing a platform for the wheeled stock cart; and
a drive mechanism cooperating with said runway, said drive mechanism moving the wheeled stock carts along said runway through said apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic cart wash apparatus. The automatic cart wash apparatus provides improved cleaning of stock carts on a regular basis over manual cleaning by store employees. The automatic cart wash apparatus includes three main stages: a debris removal (vacuum) stage, a cleaning (wash, sanitize, rinse) stage, and a drying stage. The debris removal stage uses forced air and/or suction to remove solid and generally non-soluble waste, such as a paper or other trash and debris, from a stock cart. The cleaning stage uses a selection of detergents, sanitizing agents, and rinse agents to remove soluble or sticky waste, such as food and liquids, and to kill germs, viruses, and bacteria present on the cart. The drying stage removes excess liquids from the cart making it ready for use by the next customer.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for cleaning a wheeled stock cart having a basket with a lattice
construction, said apparatus comprising: -
a vacuum stage comprising; a blower for directing forced air though the wheeled stock cart, said forced air dislodging debris from the wheeled stock cart; and a suction system drawing said forced air and debris away from the wheeled stock cart; a cleaning stage following said vacuum stage, said cleaning stage comprising a nozzle assembly for spraying a selected liquid onto the wheeled stock cart; a drying stage following said cleaning stage, said drying stage comprising a dryer positioned to direct forced air onto the wheeled stock cart; and a conveyance mechanism comprising; a runway providing a platform for the wheeled stock cart; and a drive mechanism cooperating with said runway, said drive mechanism moving the wheeled stock carts along said runway through said apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for cleaning a wheeled stock cart having a basket with a lattice
construction, said apparatus comprising: -
a frame; at least one blower positioned below the basket of the wheeled stock cart, said at least one blower oriented to direct forced air upwards through the basket, said forced air configured to remove debris from the basket, said at least one blower connected to said frame; an evacuation hood positioned over said at least one blower, said evacuation hood receiving said forced air and the debris, said evacuation hood mounted on said frame; a debris receptacle in communication with said evacuation hood; a suction system in communication with said evacuation hood and said debris receptacle, said suction system drawing the debris to said debris receptacle; at least one vertically-mounted brush, said at least one vertically-mounted brush engaging a side of the wheeled stock cart, said at least one vertically-mounted brush connected to said frame; at least one horizontally-mounted brush, said at least one horizontally-mounted brush positioned to engage the wheeled stock cart from above, said at least one horizontally-mounted brush connected to said frame; a manifold accepting an input of at least one liquid and passing a selected liquid to an output; at least one nozzle assembly for spraying a selected liquid over the wheeled stock cart, each of said at least one nozzle assembly associated with a corresponding output of said manifold, said at least one nozzle assembly connected to said frame; a reclamation pan positioned beneath said at least one nozzle assembly, said reclamation pan receiving said selected liquid from said at least one nozzle assembly as a used liquid; a drain located in said reclamation pan, said drain providing an outlet for said used liquid; a reclamation pump in communication with said drain, said reclamation pump extracting said used liquids from said reclamation pan; a reclamation filter located proximate an inlet of said drain, said reclamation filter preventing solids from entering said drain; a dryer positioned to direct forced air onto the wheeled stock cart, said dryer connected to said frame; a runway passing through said frame, said runway providing a platform for the wheeled stock carts; and a drive mechanism cooperating with said runway, said drive mechanism transporting the wheeled stock carts along said runway. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification