Upright water extraction cleaning machine with improved float assembly

• US 6,081,962 A
• Filed: 09/03/1998
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Luke E., Kasen, Timothy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US09/146,625
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 15/353, 15/320, 96/406
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• 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 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/32 with means for connecting a hose hose couplings for suction cleaners A47L9/24
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0009 with means mounted on the nozzle; nozzles specially adapted for the recovery of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0028 Security means, e.g. float valves or level switches for preventing overflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0038 with means for emptying the tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0042 Gaskets; Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/49 Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/105 Mixing heads, i.e. compact mixing units or modules, using mixing valves for feeding and mixing at least two components
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/718051 being adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/81 Forming mixtures with changing ratios or gradients
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/46 applying energy, e.g. irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0031 Carpet, upholstery, fur or leather cleansers
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/39 Organic or inorganic per-compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3905 Bleach activators or bleach catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3917 Nitrogen-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3947 Liquid compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 7/3254 : Esters or carbonates thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/54 : with pinion and rack
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/00 : Ohmic-resistance heating

Abstract

A portable surface cleaning apparatus has a base for movement along a surface to be cleaned and an upright handle pivotally attached to a rearward portion of the base. A fluid dispensing nozzle for applying fluid to the surface and a suction nozzle for picking up fluid and debris from the surface are associated with the base. Supply tanks are removably mounted to the handle or base while a recovery tank is removably mounted to the handle or base. An outlet in each supply tank includes a valve to close the outlet when the supply tank is removed from the base. A float valve assembly in the recovery tank includes a first end for covering an air outlet port from the recovery tank and a second end, which is buoyant and elevated by the rising recovered fluid in the tank, for raising the first end to cover the air outlet port.

Claims

1. A portable surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a housing including wheels for movement of the housing along a surface to be cleaned;

a fluid recovery system comprising;

a fluid recovery tank on the housing having an enclosed chamber for holding recovered fluid, an inlet opening and an exhaust opening, a substantially horizontal baffle in an upper portion of the enclosed chamber and below the exhaust opening, a relatively small opening in the baffle proximate to the exhaust opening;

a suction nozzle mounted to the housing;

a working air conduit extending between the recovery tank inlet opening and the suction nozzle;

a vacuum source in fluid communication with the recovery tank exhaust opening for generating a suction in the recovery tank, conduit and nozzle to thereby draw liquid from the surface and deposit the liquid in the recovery tank;

a float assembly in the fluid recovery tank and having a first end that is buoyant and a second end with a valve surface that is adapted to register with and cover the exhaust opening in the recovery tank and thereby block the transfer of air and liquid from the recovery tank to the vacuum source when the recovered fluid in the recovery tank reaches a predetermined level, the first end positioned below the horizontal baffle and the second end positioned above the horizontal baffle, the first and second ends of the float assembly being connected by a support arm that extends through the relatively small opening in the baffle.

2. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the recovery tank further comprises a float cage at least partially defined by a wall of the recovery tank and a substantially vertical planar guide wall adjacent the recovery tank wall, the buoyant first end of the float is positioned between the wall of the recovery tank and the guide wall for guiding movement of the float second end toward the opening during liquid rise in the recovery tank.

3. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the valve surface includes at least one generally transverse projection and the exhaust opening is formed in an upper wall of the recovery tank, the at least one projection abuts the upper wall of the recovery tank to distance the valve surface from the exhaust opening until the at least one projection registers with the exhaust opening and the valve surface covers the exhaust opening.

4. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising a stand pipe in communication with the vacuum source and having a lower end adjacent a bottom surface of the tank extending upwardly to an upper end at an upper portion of the recovery tank, wherein the exhaust opening is formed in the upper end of the stand pipe.

5. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the recovery tank further comprises an upstanding planar guide wall extending upwardly from a lower portion of the recovery tank adjacent the stand pipe, the first buoyant end of the float is located between the stand pipe and the guide wall for guiding movement of the float second end toward the stand pipe upper free end during liquid rise in the recovery tank.

6. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a liquid dispensing system comprising;

a liquid dispensing nozzle associated with the housing for applying liquid to the surface;

a fluid supply tank on the housing having an enclosed chamber for holding a predetermined amount of supply fluid;

a conduit fluidly connected to the fluid supply tank and to the dispensing nozzle for supplying liquid to the dispensing nozzle.

7. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a base adapted to move along the surface of a floor and a handle, pivotally mounted to the base for manually moving the base along the surface.

8. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the fluid recovery tank, the suction nozzle and the working air conduit are mounted to the base.

9. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 8 wherein at least a portion of the liquid dispensing system is mounted to the handle.

10. A portable surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein portions of the horizontal baffle extend to forward portions of the fluid recovery tank and portions of the horizontal baffle extend to rearward portions of the recovery tank to minimize sloshing of liquid in the recovery tank as the housing is moved forwardly and rearwardly during cleaning operations.

11. A portable surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a housing including wheels for movement of the housing along a surface to be cleaned;

a fluid recovery system comprising;

a fluid recovery tank on the housing having an enclosed chamber for holding recovered fluid, an inlet opening and an exhaust opening;

a suction nozzle mounted to the housing;

a working air conduit extending between the recovery tank inlet opening and the suction nozzle;

a vacuum source in fluid communication with the recovery tank exhaust opening for generating a suction in the recovery tank, conduit and nozzle to thereby draw liquid from the surface and deposit the liquid in the recovery tank;

the improvement comprising;

a float assembly in the fluid recovery tank and having a first end that is buoyant and a second end with a valve surface that is adapted to register with and cover the exhaust opening in the recovery tank and thereby block the transfer of air and liquid from the recovery tank to the vacuum source when the recovered fluid in the recovery tank reaches a predetermined level, and wherein the valve surface includes at least one generally transverse projection and the exhaust opening is formed in an upper wall of the recovery tank, the at least one projection abuts the housing upper wall to distance the valve surface from the upper wall until the at least one projection registers with the exhaust opening and the valve surface covers the exhaust opening.