Floor cleaning apparatus employing a combined sweeper and vaccum assembly

Abstract

A floor cleaning device employing a brush assembly is provided. The brush assembly includes a front brush and a rear brush that spin about an axis line generally parallel to the surface being cleaned. The spinning rotation of the brush along with the configuration of the housing help provide an airflow path that sucks debris from the surface being cleaned. The debris is directed to a hopper wherein larger items are captured and smaller items are suctioned into a vacuum bag.

Description

[0001]This application is related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,555,596, entitled “Floor Cleaning Apparatus”; 5,485,653, entitled “Floor Cleaning Apparatus”; 5,628,086, entitled “Floor Cleaning Apparatus with Squeegee Mounting System”; and 5,608,947, entitled “Floor Cleaning Apparatus With Pre-Filter”; the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 059,663, filed Feb. 15, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,533,435, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 737,027, filed Dec. 15, 2003, now abandoned, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 438,485, filed May 14, 2003, now abandoned, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. This application is also related to U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009 / 0094784, 2006 / 0064844, 2006 / 0124770, and 2006 / 0156498, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 511,70...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]It is, thus, another aspect of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is capable of cleaning small particles and large particles. More specifically, the front brush and the rear brush are located under the brush housing. The rear brush is also located near a curved rear wall of the hopper. This configuration allows air and debris to enter the front portion of the cleaning assembly, flow between the rotating brushes, flow behind the curved wall, and flow into the hopper. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, this configuration thus allows for the capture of particles of various sizes, from the very small, i.e., dust, to larger particles of about 0.75 inches. Additionally, larger particles of 8 to 10 inches of length may be captured by some embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the brushes are cylindrical and rotate about a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the floor. As mentioned above, a flap or seals may be positioned about the brushes to seal the housing, which enhances suction pressure and facilitates the airflow described above. The flaps may be made of any material, but are preferably made of a compliant material, such as rubber. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rearward flap also functions as a squeegee.

[0018]It is still yet another aspect of the present invention to provide an apparatus having a unique vacuum bag. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention employ a vacuum bag with a centering tab and an automatic seal that ensures that the contents of the bag do not spill when the vacuum bag is removed from the apparatus.

Problems solved by technology

Further, the prior art apparatus are noisy and do not provide a sufficient vacuum.

Another drawback is that the prior art apparatus will capture large debris that can potentially cause clogs and damage to internal vacuum components.

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