Floor scrubber

• US 20070113368A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FNA Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FAIP North America Incorporated (Faip)
• Inventors: Alexander, Gus
• Granted Patent: US 7,770,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/321
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/03 characterised by having provisions for supplying cleaning or polishing agents A47L11/065, A47L11/085, A47L11/125, A47L11/145, A47L11/161, A47L11/1625, A47L11/185, A47L11/201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2203/0229 Suction chambers for aspirating the sprayed liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/024 Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/026 Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor

Abstract

A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces that includes a cleaning head which defines a downwardly opening cleaning zone having a plurality of spray nozzles connected to a power washer pump for directing pressurized liquid flow streams onto the floor surface during a cleaning operation. The cleaning head further defines a separate downwardly opening vacuum zone connected to a wet/dry vacuum device operable for creating a vacuum pressure within the vacuum zone for removing liquid that has been directed onto the floor surface. The wet/dry vacuum device preferably further is operable for selectively directing a positive air flow into the vacuum zone to facilitate drying of the floor surface after cleaning and vacuum removal of the liquid.

Claims

1. A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces as an incident to movement over the floor surface comprising:

a cleaning head having a housing defining a downwardly opening cleaning zone, at least one spray nozzle supported within said cleaning zone, said cleaning head having a liquid inlet connectable to a pressurized liquid supply for directing cleaning fluid to said at least one nozzle for direction onto and cleaning of a floor surface over which the cleaning head is positioned, said housing further defining having a downwardly opening vacuum zone, said vacuum zone having a vacuum pressure inlet connectable to a vacuum pressure source for creating a vacuum within said vacuum zone for removing liquid directed onto the floor from said at least one spray nozzle during a cleaning operation.

2. The floor scrubber of claim 1 in which said cleaning zone is defined by a downwardly opening cleaning cavity in said housing, and said vacuum zone is defined by a downwardly opening vacuum cavity separate from said cleaning cavity.

3. The floor scrubber of claim 2 in which said vacuum cavity has a vacuum opening in a bottom side thereof disposed in closely spaced relation to the floor surface.

4. The floor scrubber of claim 3 in which said vacuum opening has an elongated configuration oriented transverse to a direction of forward movement of said floor scrubber.

5. The floor scrubber of claim 1 in which said housing has a downwardly directed floor engaging brush bristles supported in depending relation about a perimeter of the housing in surrounding cleaning and vacuum zones.

6. The floor scrubber of claim 1 in which said housing has a downwardly directed floor engaging squeegee blade fixed in depending relation about an outer perimeter of said housing in surrounding relation to said cleaning and vacuum zones.

7. The floor scrubber of claim 2 in which said vacuum cavity is disposed adjacent a rearward side of said housing in relation to a direction of forward movement of the scrubber on the floor surface.

8. The floor scrubber of claim 1 including a plurality of roller balls for supporting a lower perimeter of said housing in predetermined spaced relation over a floor surface to be cleaned.

9. The floor scrubber of claim 3 in which said vacuum cavity is disposed adjacent a rearward end of said housing in relation to the direction of forward movement of the scrubber over a floor surface, a plurality of roller balls disposed within an underside of said housing for supporting a lower perimeter thereof in predetermined spaced relation to the floor surface, two said roller balls being disposed adjacent opposite lateral sides of said vacuum opening, and at least one of said roller balls being disposed adjacent a forward end of said housing.

10. The floor scrubber of claim 1 in which said vacuum inlet is defined by an adaptor on said housing, said adaptor having inwardly a tapered outer surface as it extends outwardly of said housing with a plurality of longitudinally spaced sealing rings disposed about the outer side thereof for receiving and sealingly engaging different sized vacuum lines used to connect said vacuum inlet to said vacuum source.

11. The floor scrubber of claim 10 in which said vacuum inlet defining adaptor has a stepped outer surface defined by a plurality of cylindrical surfaces of progressively smaller diameters outwardly of said housing.

12. The floor scrubber of claim 10 in which said adaptor has a conical configuration.

13. The floor scrubber of claim 1 including a plurality of said spray nozzles mounted on a spray nozzle assembly rotatably supported within an underside of said housing, and said spray nozzle assembly being rotatable in response to the direction of pressurized cleaning liquid to and through said nozzles.

14. A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces as an incident to movement over the floor surface comprising:

a cleaning head having a housing defining a downwardly opening cleaning zone, a plurality of spray nozzles supported within the underside of said housing adjacent said cleaning zone, said cleaning head having a liquid inlet communicating with said spray nozzles, a power washer pump connectable to said liquid inlet for directing pressurized liquid to said liquid inlet and through said nozzles, said housing further defining having a downwardly opening vacuum zone, said vacuum zone having a vacuum pressure inlet, a wet/dry vacuum device connectable to said vacuum pressure inlet for creating a vacuum at said vacuum pressure inlet and within said vacuum zone for removing liquid directed onto the floor surface from said spray nozzles during the cleaning operation.

15. The floor scrubber of claim 14 in which said wet/dry vacuum is selectively operable for directing a positive pressure air flow into said vacuum inlet and vacuum zone for facilitating drying of the floor surface after vacuum removal of liquid directed onto the floor surface.

16. The floor scrubber of claim 14 in which said liquid inlet is defined by an adaptor connected to said housing, and said power washer pump has a control wand releaseably connectable to said adaptor.

17. The floor scrubber of claim 14 in which said cleaning zone is defined by a downwardly opening cleaning cavity in said housing, and said vacuum zone is defined by a downwardly opening vacuum cavity separate from said cleaning cavity.

18. A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces as an incident to movement over the floor surface comprising:

a cleaning head having a housing defining a downwardly opening cleaning zone, a spray nozzle assembly mounted within an underside of said housing including a plurality of spray nozzles for directing pressurized liquid flow streams onto the floor during a cleaning operation, said housing having a liquid inlet for directing pressurized liquid from a pressurized liquid supply to said spray nozzle assembly and the spray nozzles mounted thereon, said spray nozzles including at least one turbo nozzle having a turbulence creating internal agitation member for agitating the flow stream prior to impingement on the floor surface for loosening dirt and grime on the floor surface, and at least two of said nozzles being fan spray nozzles for directing fan spray patterns onto the floor surface for moving dirt and grime removed from the floor surface along with the cleaning head as an incident to movement over the floor surface.

19. The floor scrubber of claim 18 in which said housing defines a downwardly opening vacuum zone, and said housing having a vacuum inlet connectable to a vacuum pressure source for creating a vacuum pressure within said vacuum zone for removing liquid directed onto the floor surface from said spray nozzle assembly during a cleaning operation.

20. A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces as an incident to movement over the floor surface comprising:

a cleaning head having a housing defining a downwardly opening cleaning zone, a nozzle assembly supported within said cleaning zone, said cleaning head having a liquid inlet connectable to a pressurized liquid supply for directing cleaning fluid to said spray nozzle assembly for direction onto and cleaning of a floor surface over which the scrubbing head is positioned, and said housing having a chemical inlet separate from said liquid inlet connectable to a chemical supply for directing a chemical into said cleaning zone and onto said floor surface during a cleaning operation.

21. A floor scrubber for cleaning floor surfaces as an incident to movement over the floor surface comprising:

a cleaning head having a housing defining a downwardly opening cleaning zone, a spray nozzle assembly supported within said cleaning zone, said cleaning head having a liquid inlet connectable to a pressurized liquid supply for directing cleaning fluid to said spray nozzle assembly for direction onto and cleaning of a floor surface over which the scrubbing head is positioned, and a plurality of roller balls for supporting a lower perimeter of said housing in predetermined spaced relation over a floor surface to be cleaned during movement of the cleaning head over the floor surface during a cleaning operation.

22. A method of using a floor scrubber having a cleaning head having a downwardly opening cleaning chamber within which a spray nozzle assembly is supported and a downwardly opening vacuum chamber, comprising the steps of directing a pressurized liquid to the spray nozzle assembly for direction onto a floor surface over which the scrubber is moved for cleaning the floor surface during a cleaning operation, and communicating a vacuum pressure to said vacuum chamber to remove liquid that has been directed onto the floor surface during a cleaning operation.

23. The method of claim 22 including communicating said vacuum to said vacuum chamber after completion of a cleaning operation.

24. The method of claim 23 including communicating a vacuum to said vacuum chamber simultaneously with the direction of pressurized liquid to said spray nozzle assembly during a cleaning operation.

25. The method of claim 22 directing a pressurized air stream into said vacuum chamber for drying the floor surface after direction of liquid onto the floor surface during the cleaning operation and vacuum removal of directed liquid.

26. The method of claim 22 including communicating pressurized liquid to said spray nozzle assembly and cleaning chamber by connecting a liquid inlet of the scrubber to a pressure washer pump.

27. The method of claim 26 communicating a vacuum pressure to said vacuum chamber by connecting a vacuum pressure inlet of said vacuum chamber to a wet/dry vacuum device operatable for vacuuming liquid.

28. The method of claim 25 including directing a positive air flow to said vacuum chamber by connecting a vacuum inlet of the vacuum chamber to a wet/dry vacuum operable for further directing a positive pressure air flow.