Wash chamber for automated appendage-washing apparatus
First Claim
1. A cleaning station to at least partially clean at least a portion of at least one appendage using at least one fluid, comprising:
- a rotatable wash chamber, the wash chamber including a substantially planar inner member and an outer member, the wash chamber including a first end and a second end;
an object receiving cavity located within the inner member, the object receiving cavity adapted for being accessible by the portion of the at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber;
an annular cavity located between the inner and the outer members, the inner member including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface facing the object receiving cavity and the second surface facing the annular cavity; and
at least one angled nozzle having an inlet side, a substantially planar outlet side, an inlet slot, and an outlet slot, wherein the inlet slot and the outlet slot intersect to form a passageway for the at least one fluid to travel from the annular cavity through the inlet slot, passageway, and outlet slot to the object receiving cavity, wherein the outlet slot is substantially transverse to the inlet slot, and wherein a plane of discharge of the at least one fluid from the outlet slot is disposed at an acute angle, relative to the substantially planar outlet side adjacent to the outlet slot;
whereby during operation of the wash chamber, the at least one fluid flows into the annular cavity, through at least the angled nozzle, and into the object receiving cavity.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A wash cylinder or chamber for an automated cleaning station to clean an object or a person'"'"'s body part includes nozzles on the interior of the cylinder, the nozzles of one embodiment comprising an increasing roll angle providing a novel spray pattern. Additionally, embodiments of the invention include fluid guidance and conveyance structures, angled nozzles, sealing structures, finger guards, nozzle ribs, wash chamber seating mechanisms and drains, and nozzle inlays having a plurality of nozzles. Also disclosed are methods of washing an object or body part using a wash cylinder or chamber and methods of assembling a wash cylinder or chamber.
239 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A cleaning station to at least partially clean at least a portion of at least one appendage using at least one fluid, comprising:
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a rotatable wash chamber, the wash chamber including a substantially planar inner member and an outer member, the wash chamber including a first end and a second end; an object receiving cavity located within the inner member, the object receiving cavity adapted for being accessible by the portion of the at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber; an annular cavity located between the inner and the outer members, the inner member including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface facing the object receiving cavity and the second surface facing the annular cavity; and at least one angled nozzle having an inlet side, a substantially planar outlet side, an inlet slot, and an outlet slot, wherein the inlet slot and the outlet slot intersect to form a passageway for the at least one fluid to travel from the annular cavity through the inlet slot, passageway, and outlet slot to the object receiving cavity, wherein the outlet slot is substantially transverse to the inlet slot, and wherein a plane of discharge of the at least one fluid from the outlet slot is disposed at an acute angle, relative to the substantially planar outlet side adjacent to the outlet slot; whereby during operation of the wash chamber, the at least one fluid flows into the annular cavity, through at least the angled nozzle, and into the object receiving cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A cleaning station to at least partially clean at least a portion of at least one object using at least one fluid, comprising:
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a rotatable wash chamber, the wash chamber including first and second ends; an object receiving cavity located within the wash chamber, the object receiving cavity adapted for being accessible by the portion of the at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber; and at least one angled nozzle having an inlet side, a substantially planar outlet side, an inlet slot and an outlet slot, wherein the inlet slot and the outlet slot intersect to form a passageway for the at least one fluid to travel from the object receiving cavity through the inlet slot, passageway, and outlet slot to the object receiving cavity, wherein the outlet slot is substantially transverse to the inlet slot, and wherein a plane of discharge of the at least one fluid from the outlet slot is disposed at an acute angle, relative to the substantially planar outlet side adjacent to the outlet slot; whereby during operation of the wash chamber, the at least one fluid flows through at least the angled nozzle and into the object receiving cavity. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A cleaning station, comprising:
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a rotatable wash chamber, the wash chamber including first and second ends and having a constant radius along substantially all of a substantially planar inner surface of the wash chamber; an object receiving cavity located within and substantially enclosed by the wash chamber, the object receiving cavity being accessible by a portion of at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber; and a plurality of nozzles disposed at selected locations on an inner surface of the wash chamber, wherein each of the plurality of nozzles is configured to be substantially flush with an adjacent portion of the inner surface of the wash chamber to inhibit contact of the nozzle with the at least a portion of the at least one object; whereby during operation of the wash chamber, at least one cleaning fluid flows through the plurality of nozzles and into the object receiving cavity. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An automated cleaning station to at least partially clean at least a portion of at least one appendage using at least one fluid, comprising:
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a body; a rotatable wash chamber associated with the body, the wash chamber including an inner member and an outer member, the wash chamber including a first end and a second end; an object receiving cavity located within the inner member, the object receiving cavity adapted for being accessible by the portion of the at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber; an annular cavity located between the inner member and the outer member, the inner member including a first surface and a second surface, the first surface facing the object receiving cavity and the second surface facing the annular cavity; at least one angled nozzle having a rounded inlet slot and a rounded outlet slot, the inlet slot beginning at an inlet opening disposed on an inlet side of the angled nozzle and continuing through a portion of a width of the angled nozzle, the outlet slot beginning at an outlet opening disposed on an outlet side of the angled nozzle and continuing through a portion of the width of the angled nozzle, the outlet side of the angled nozzle substantially flush with a wall of the object receiving cavity, wherein the inlet slot and the outlet slot intersect to form a passageway for the at least one fluid to travel from the annular cavity to the object receiving cavity, wherein the outlet opening is substantially perpendicular to the inlet opening, and wherein the outlet slot is disposed at angle of between about 5 and 35 degrees with respect to a central axis of the angled nozzle; and a nozzle inlay including a plurality of interconnected angled nozzles, the plurality of angled nozzles adapted to receive the at least one fluid from the annular cavity and to project the at least one fluid into the appendage receiving cavity. whereby during operation of the wash chamber, the at least one fluid flows into the annular cavity, through at least the angled nozzle, and into the object receiving cavity; and wherein the nozzle inlay is connectable removably to a recessed portion of the cylinder portion of the inner member, the recessed portion including a first substantially rectangular portion and a second substantially rectangular portion, the first rectangular portion having a first width and the second rectangular portion having a second width, the first width being less than the second width, the nozzle inlay having a first substantially rectangular section adapted to be received in the first substantially rectangular portion of the recessed portion, and the nozzle inlay having a second substantially rectangular section adapted to be received in the second substantially rectangular portion of the recessed portion.
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23. An automated cleaning station to at least partially clean at least a portion of at least one object using at least one fluid, comprising:
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a body; a rotatable wash chamber associated with the body, the wash chamber including a first end and a second end; an object receiving cavity located within the wash chamber, the object receiving cavity adapted for being accessible by the portion of the at least one object through an opening in the first end of the wash chamber; and at least one angled nozzle having a rounded inlet slot and a rounded outlet slot, the inlet slot beginning at an inlet opening disposed on an inlet side of the angled nozzle and continuing through a portion of a width of the angled nozzle, the outlet slot beginning at an outlet opening disposed on an outlet side of the angled nozzle and continuing through a portion of the width of the angled nozzle, the outlet side of the angled nozzle substantially flush with a wall of the object receiving cavity, wherein the inlet slot and the outlet slot intersect to form a passageway for the at least one fluid to travel to the object receiving cavity, wherein the outlet opening is substantially perpendicular to the inlet opening, and wherein the outlet slot is disposed at angle of between about 5 and 35degrees with respect to a central axis of the angled nozzle; and a nozzle inlay including a plurality of interconnected angled nozzles, the plurality of angled nozzles adapted to receive the at least one fluid and to project the at least one fluid into the object receiving cavity, wherein the nozzle inlay is removably connectable to a recessed portion of the wash chamber, the recessed portion including a first substantially rectangular portion and a second substantially rectangular portion, the first rectangular portion having a first width and the second rectangular portion having a second width, the first width being less than the second width, the nozzle inlay having a first substantially rectangular section adapted to be received in the first substantially rectangular portion of the recessed portion, and the nozzle inlay having a second substantially rectangular section adapted to be received in the second substantially rectangular portion of the recessed portion; whereby during operation of the wash chamber, the at least one fluid flows through at least the angled nozzle and into the object receiving cavity.
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Specification