Carpet cleaning apparatus and method with vibration, heat, and cleaning agent

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for cleaning carpets, upholstered surfaces, and other surfaces is disclosed, the apparatus and method utilizing a combination of vibratory motion, controllable heat, and cleaning agents, the apparatus comprising a base plate, heating elements with electrical connections, and means for moving the base plate to produce a scrubbing motion, the method comprising a replaceable cleaning implement in combination with a mechanical scrubber, a cleaning agent, and controllable heat.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the cleaning of carpets, upholstered surfaces, and other surfaces utilizing a combination of vibratory motion, heat, and cleaning agents. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new apparatus and process for cleaning such surfaces utilizing vibratory or oscillatory "scrubbing" motions and heat, and generally also utilizing fluids, such as water or carbon compound cleaning fluids, whereby a user may remove materials and stains from such carpets or surfaces not otherwise removable.BACKGROUND ART OF THE INVENTION[0002] Methods for cleaning carpets, fabrics, or other similar items ("workpieces"), and the apparatus associated with such methods, are common in the prior art. Some such methods and apparatus involve the movement of air at or close to the workpiece, oftentimes in combination with some method or apparatus for vibrating, or otherwise breaking or shaking loose materials residing on or within, the workpiece. As applied to carp...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] The present invention overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the prior art by utilizing vibration or agitation simultaneously with heat and a cleaning agent. The cleaning agent is applied either directly to the workpiece or to a cloth which may reside under a base plate attached to a mechanical vibrator or agitator, which plate then moves the cloth in a very tight circular motion, or back and forth against the workpiece, or up and down against the workpiece, or in combinations of such movements, in small increments. The increments of movement may be increased in size by appropriate adjustment of the agitator, to increase the travel of the base plate and cloth, thereby increasing the cleaning effect when the present invention is used on carpets having thicker pile, or other workpieces having special characteristics. Heat is simultaneously applied to the workpiece by the mechanical agitator by means of a heating element or elements attached to or imbedded within the base plate of the mechanical agitator. The cloth so worked against the workpiece may be changed from time to time as particulates and other matter are dissolved, and picked up by the cleaning agent and cloth, and held by the agent on or in the cloth.

[0026] The greatest flexibility is placement of heating elements is presently accomplished by attaching modular heating element pads to various locations on the bottom side of the base plate. Such heating pads may be formed of thin-wire or thin-layer resistance elements, including nickle wire or foil, encased in silicon and fiberglass, or plasticized fiber, material, which resistance elements are capable of generating any operating temperature desirable for the cleaning process of the present invention up to the melting point of the workpiece. At such temperatures, the silicon and fiberglass material is capable of continuous operation without melting, hardening, or otherwise breaking down. The benefit of all such materials used as heating elements in the present invention is application of heat directly to the upper side of a towel or other cleaning element properly positioned in the cleaning machine, i.e. as close as possible to the workpiece to be cleaned. By such positioning, heat may be applied during the cleaning process as closely as possible to the workpiece to be cleaned, to maximize the benefit of heat within the process of the present invention.

[0028] The heating elements may be placed anywhere on the base plate, including the upper sides of any edge of the place, the entire lower surface of the base plate, or at only selected areas on the lower surface of the base plate. However, the preferred placement for the present invention when used as a rug cleaner is by placement of a heating element or elements covering substantially the entire lower side of the base plate. From such position, and with appropriately connected switches for controlling current to each heating element individually, a operator may direct heat evenly throughout the entire base plate (while heat may be directed as desired to various portions of the base plate utilizing separate heading elements).

[0030] A cleaning solution is used with the cleaning machine (floor-treating machine, hand-held machine, or otherwise). The combination of such solution with the heat generated, directed, and applied by such apparatus maximizes the cleaning action of the present invention. The solution may be as simple as plain water, which may be used as a solvent for water-soluable substances, and a vehicle for removal of such substances. However, it is more usual to use water and detergent, or a combination of compounds containing water and either soap or detergent, which soap or combination of compounds combine chemically with non-water soluble soils or dirt. As with soap and detergents used in other applications, the combination of cleaning compound with fat-based soils proceeds hydrophobically with the fat soluble substances, so that the water in the combination of compounds may pick up the soap or detergent hydrophilically, and so float the fat soluble substance away (to lodge on the terrycloth or other towel residing under the base plate of the cleaning apparatus when in operation). In most such cleaning applications, additional rinsing is necessary to remove the soap or detergent residue from the workpiece to an acceptable level. In other cases, a solution containing one or more hydrocarbons may be used to dissolve soils adhering to the workpiece which are hydrocarbon based. Thus, motor oil may be dissolved using a cleaning fluid containing carbon compounds, including, for exceptionally tough cleaning jobs, generally available compounds containing combinations of N-Butyl Acetate, Isoparaffinic Hydrocarbons, and Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether Acetate. The benefit of using such hydrocarbon solvents is that further rinsing to remove the cleaning fluid after removal of the soil is generally not necessary.

[0035] By the above process, a user or operator may clean a large area or a small area, utilizing the benefits of each element of the invention. More specifically, the operator may take advantage of (1) the increased chemical activity attendant upon elevated temperature, as chemical processes proceed about twice as fast with each ten degree Celsius increase in temperature, (2) the increased cleaning effect resulting from use of a cleaning agent, such as detergent, or detergent and solvent combination, (3) the increased efficiency of cleaning as the cleaning agent either chemically combines with or dissolves the soil adhering to a workpiece at a raised temperature, and (3) the increased cleaning effect resulting from direct application of power oscillating "scrubbing" motion, as the towel which is affixed to the base plate of the present invention is vigorously rubbed against the workpiece to increase direct contact between these pieces.

Problems solved by technology

While the inventions disclosed in these prior patents fulfill their respective objectives, these prior patents do not describe or suggest an apparatus or method which simultaneously utilizes agitation or vibration, in combination with heat, applied directly to the area to be cleaned, along with a separately applied (and therefore controllable) fluid, to suspend and remove the material or particles to be removed.

However, neither the prior patents set forth above nor any other prior art combines all three of the above components as described herein, i.e., by the application of agitation, heat, and a cleaning fluid, each of which is individually controllable.

Put another way, each of the above-noted inventions fails altogether to employ one component, or fails to employ all components simultaneously, or fails to employ one or more components proximately to the material to be affected, or fails to employ each component to individually control their application, or fails to employ one or more components in a manner calculated to maximize its effect on the overall cleaning process when used with the remaining two components.

However, gravity, capillary action and the high pressure of the most successful of applicators combine to put much of the solution beyond the grasp of even the most powerful suction.

The result is overwet carpets which may take days to dry and is at least very inconvenient and, at its worst, destructive to the carpet.

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