Floor-cleaning appliance

• US 8,006,341 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Beer, Melanie, Merz, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich; Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/661,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 153/20, 15/491, 15/501, 15/502, 15/503, 15/521, 15/522, 15/98, 451350-353
• US Class Current: 15/49.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4075 Handles; levers
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4091 Storing or parking devices, arrangements therefor; Means allowing transport of the machine when it is not being used

Abstract

The invention relates to a floor-cleaning appliance having a housing, on the underside of which is disposed at least one floor-cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance, for the purpose of cleaning a floor surface, can be guided manually by the user in an operating direction along the floor surface. In order to develop the floor-cleaning appliance such that it can be transported in a simple manner, it is proposed according to the invention that the floor-cleaning appliance has transporting wheels which are adapted to be rotatably fixed by the user, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on wheel bearings disposed on the side of the housing.

Claims

1. Floor-cleaning appliance, comprising:

a housing,

at least one floor-cleaning tool disposed on an underside of the housing, the at least one floor cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, the floor-cleaning appliance, for a purpose of cleaning a floor surface, is adapted to be guided manually by a user in an operating direction along the floor surface,

wheel bearings disposed laterally on the housing, and

transporting wheels which are adapted to be removably fixed by the user, for a purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on the wheel bearings,

at least one storage device for holding the transporting wheels when removed from the wheel bearings, each of the at least one storage devices being configured as a wheel holder on which the transporting wheels can be retained in a non-displaceable manner, and

wherein the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub, and the wheel holders each have a mount into which one of the axle stubs can be plugged.

2. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

the floor-cleaning appliance is adapted to be transferred out of an operating position, which the appliance assumes for the purpose of cleaning the floor surface, into a transporting position, in which the floor-cleaning appliance can be transported,

the transporting wheels when fixed on the wheel bearings are spaced apart from the floor surface in the operating position of the floor-cleaning appliance and in contact with the floor surface in the transporting position of the floor-cleaning appliance.

3. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein:

the floor-cleaning appliance has two transporting wheels, which, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, are adapted to be fixed on sides of the housing that face away from one another such that the two transporting wheels are rotatable about a common axis of rotation, and

for transporting purposes, the floor-cleaning appliance is adapted to be pivoted about the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

4. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 3, wherein the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels is aligned parallel to the operating direction of the floor-cleaning appliance.

5. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 4, wherein the at least one floor-cleaning tool is offset, in relation to a center axis of the floor-cleaning appliance, in a direction away from the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

6. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 4, wherein impact-protection elements are disposed on a side of the housing, this side being remote from the common axis of rotation of the transporting wheels.

7. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pivotable pushing frame and an arresting member,

wherein the pushing frame, for the purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, is adapted to be arrested in a vertical position by means of the arresting member.

8. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 7, wherein the arresting member is adapted to be moved back and forth between an arresting position and a release position.

9. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 7, wherein the arresting member is adapted to be pivoted about a pivot axis.

10. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 7, wherein:

the floor-cleaning appliance has two transporting wheels, and

the arresting member is disposed above a common axis of rotation of the two transporting wheels.

11. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein a respective fixing device is disposed on the wheel bearings for the purpose of fixing the transporting wheels.

12. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 11, wherein:

the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub and the wheel bearings each comprise a bearing bushing which accommodates the axle stub,

the axle stubs are adapted to be arrested in an axially non-displaceable manner in the bearing bushing by means of the fixing device.

13. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 12, wherein the fixing device has at least one clamping element for the purpose of arresting an axle stub in the bearing bushing.

14. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 13, wherein the axle stubs have an annular groove in which a clamping element engages automatically when the axle stubs are introduced into the bearing bushing.

15. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 13, wherein the fixing device has an actuating element for releasing the arresting of the axle stub.

16. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 15, wherein the actuating element is configured as a pushbutton which can be actuated to transfer the clamping element out of a clamping position into a release position.

17. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance comprises two storage devices that face away from one another.

18. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 1, wherein the floor-cleaning appliance is configured as a scrubber dryer.

21. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 3, wherein:

the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub, and

the wheel holders each have a mount into which an axle stub can be plugged.

19. Floor-cleaning appliance comprising:

a housing,

at least one floor-cleaning tool disposed on an underside of the housing, the at least one floor cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, the floor-cleaning appliance, for a purpose of cleaning a floor surface, is adapted to be guided manually by a user in an operating direction along the floor surface,

wheel bearings disposed laterally on the housing, and

transporting wheels which are adapted to be removably fixed by the user, for a purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on the wheel bearings,

at least one storage device for holding the transporting wheels when removed from the wheel bearings,

wherein the at least one storage device is disposed on a pushing frame of the floor-cleaning appliance at a distance from the housing.

20. Floor-cleaning appliance according to claim 19, wherein each of the at least one storage devices are configured as wheel holders on which the transporting wheels can be retained in a non-displaceable manner.

22. Floor-cleaning appliance comprising:

a housing,

at least one floor-cleaning tool disposed on an underside of the housing, the at least one floor cleaning tool adapted to be driven in rotation or oscillation, the floor-cleaning appliance, for a purpose of cleaning a floor surface, is adapted to be guided manually by a user in an operating direction along the floor surface,

wheel bearings disposed laterally on the housing, and

transporting wheels which are adapted to be removably fixed by the user, for a purpose of transporting the floor-cleaning appliance, on the wheel bearings,

at least one storage device for holding the transporting wheels when removed from the wheel bearings, each of the at least one storage devices being configured as a wheel holder on which the transporting wheels can be retained in a non-displaceable manner,

wherein;

the transporting wheels each carry an axle stub,

the wheel holders each have a mount into which one of the axle stubs can be plugged, and

the axle stubs are adapted to be clamped in the mounts.