Rotary surface cleaning tool

Abstract

A rotary surface cleaning machine for cleaning floors, including both carpeted floors and uncarpeted hard floor surfaces including but not limited to wood, tile, linoleum and natural stone flooring. The rotary surface cleaning machine has a rotary surface cleaning tool mounted on a frame and coupled for high speed rotary motion relative to the frame. The rotary surface cleaning tool has a substantially circular operational surface that performs the cleaning operation. The rotary surface cleaning tool is driven by an on-board power plant to rotate at high speed. The rotary surface cleaning tool is coupled to a supply of pressurized hot liquid solution of cleaning fluid and a powerful vacuum suction source.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to a rotary tool for cleaning surfaces, including rugs and carpets, and in particular to such apparatus and methods with brushes for coaction with cleaning liquid delivering means and suction extraction means.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Many apparatuses and methods are known for cleaning carpeting and other flooring, wall and upholstery surfaces. The cleaning apparatuses and methods most commonly used today apply cleaning fluid as a spray under pressure to the surface whereupon the cleaning fluid dissolves the dirt and stains and the apparatus scrubs the fibers while simultaneously applying suction to extract the cleaning fluid and the dissolved soil. Many different apparatuses and methods for spraying cleaning fluid under pressure and then removing it with suction are illustrated in the prior art. Some of these cleaning apparatuses and methods use a rotating device wherein the entire machine is transported ove...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0024]According to another aspect of the invention the rotary surface cleaning tool has a target surface scrubbing means for causing a washboard-type scrubbing effect of a moveable target surface to be cleaned, i.e., a carpet. The target surface scrubbing means causes oscillations of the moveable target surface alternately toward and away from the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool by alternate application of vacuum suction pulling the carpet toward the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool and application of compression by the next consecutive shoe pushing the carpet away from the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool.

[0025]According to another aspect of the invention the target surface scrubbing means for causing a washboard-type scrubbing effect is one or both of (a) a relatively raised surface portion of each suction extraction shoe that projects further from the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool than a relatively lower surface portion thereof, and (b) one or more rows of bristle brushes arranged along a surface portion of each suction extraction shoe and projected further from the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool than a surface of the corresponding suction extraction shoe. The relatively raised surface portion of each suction extraction shoe, or the one or more rows of bristle brushes, whichever is present, the leading surface portion of the suction extraction shoe as a function of a direction of the rotary motion of the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool, while the relatively lower surface or brushless portion forms the trailing surface portion of the suction extraction shoe.

[0026]When present, the rows of bristle brushes provide a more aggressive cleaning action in cleaning when provided in combination with fluid cleaning of carpet or other target flooring surface. Furthermore, when present the optional raised bristle brushes effectively raise bottom operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool slightly away from target floor surface so that the rotary surface cleaning machine can be alternated between carpeting and hard floor surfaces such as wood, tile, linoleum and natural stone flooring, without possibility of scarring or other damage to either the operational surface of the rotary surface cleaning tool or the hard floor surfaces.

Problems solved by technology

The spray nozzles are very expensive to drill or otherwise form because they are only about 1 / 10,000th of an inch in diameter.

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