Cleaning system utilizing purified water

• US 8,051,861 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Killingstad, Hans C., Field, Bruce F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kornakov; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLIGHTLY, ERIC WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US11/331,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20060137127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 134/60
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/26 Other cleaning devices with liquid supply arrangements such arrangements on floor-polishing machines A47L11/00, on scrapers A47L13/03, on mops A47L13/22; cloths, pads, or the like containing cleaning agents A47L13/17, A47L13/19
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/003 Cleaning involving contact with foam
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/026 Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor

Abstract

A cleaning system includes a supply of purified water, a supply of cleaning agent, a mixing junction, and a distributor. The mixing junction is configured to combine a flow of the purified water and a flow of the cleaning agent and output a flow of cleaning liquid comprising the flows of the purified water and the cleaning agent. The distributor includes an output through which the cleaning liquid can be discharged. In a method of cleaning a surface, flows of purified water and cleaning agent are provided. The flow of purified water and the flow of cleaning agent are mixed to form a flow of cleaning liquid. The flow of cleaning liquid is then discharged to the surface.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning system comprising:

a mobile body comprising wheels;

a water tank supported on the mobile body, the water tank containing a supply of non-purified water containing dissolved minerals;

a water filter supported on the mobile body, wherein the water filter receives a flow of the non-purified water from the water tank, removes the dissolved minerals from the flow of non-purified water and discharges the flow of filtered non-purified water as a flow of purified water;

a distributor having an output, wherein the distributor discharges a flow of cleaning liquid comprising the flow of purified water through the output;

a recovery tank separate from the water tank; and

a vacuumized fluid recovery device configured to remove soiled cleaning liquid from the surface and store the soiled cleaning liquid in the recovery tank.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a container supported on the mobile body;

a supply of cleaning agent in the container; and

a mixing junction supported on the mobile body receives the flow of purified water through a first fluid flow path connected to the water tank, receives a flow of the cleaning agent from the container through a second fluid flow path, and outputs the flow of purified water and the flow of the cleaning agent to the distributor;

wherein the flow of cleaning liquid comprises the flow of purified water and the flow of the cleaning agent output from the mixing junction.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a pump configured to drive the flow of the non-purified water through the water filter.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising an aerator configured to aerate the flow of cleaning liquid to thereby form a foamed cleaning liquid, wherein the distributor is configured to discharge the foamed cleaning liquid through the output.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the flow of the purified water is less than approximately 0.9 liters/min.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the flow of purified water is less than approximately 0.5 liters/min.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the flow of the cleaning agent is less than 10 cc/min.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the flow of cleaning liquid comprises a ratio of purified water to cleaning agent of X:

1, wherein X is greater than 400.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein X is greater than 800.

10. The system of claim 2 further comprising a housing enclosing at least a portion of the mixing junction;

wherein the distributor includes a portion that extends outside the housing, the portion having an end connected to the output.

11. The system of claim 2 wherein the distributor comprises a nozzle mounted to the end of a section of tubing, wherein the nozzle includes an aerator configured to aerate the flow of cleaning liquid to thereby form a flow of foamed cleaning liquid.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the dissolved minerals comprise elements-selected from the group consisting of iron and manganese.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the filter comprises filtering elements selected from the group consisting of ceramic, glass fiber and hard-block carbon.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the dissolved minerals comprise elements selected from the group consisting of iron and manganese.

12. A cleaning system comprising:

a line source of non-purified water containing dissolved minerals;

a water filter, wherein the water filter receives a flow of the non-purified water at an input port coupled to the source of non-purified water, removes the dissolved minerals from the flow, and discharges a flow of the filtered non-purified water as a flow of purified water through an output port;

a first fluid flow path connected to the output port of the water filter;

a container containing a supply of cleaning agent;

a second fluid flow path connected to the container;

a mixing junction coupled to the first and second fluid flow paths, wherein the mixing junction combines the flow of purified water from the first fluid flow path with a flow of the cleaning agent from the second fluid flow path and outputs a flow of cleaning liquid comprising the flows of purified water and cleaning agent;

a distributor that discharges the flow cleaning liquid through the output; and

a housing enclosing at least a portion of the mixing junction, wherein the housing is mounted to one of a wall of a room and a ceiling of a room;

wherein the flow of the filtered water is less than approximately 0.9 liters/min.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the flow of cleaning liquid comprises a ratio of purified water to cleaning agent of X:

1 wherein X is greater than 400.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the housing is mounted to the ceiling of a room.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the housing is mounted to the wall of a room.