CA1143113A - Portable rug shampooer with disposable powder container - Google Patents

Abstract

Case 1332 Abstract of the Disclosure Lightweight, simple rug cleaner for residential use which uses a powdered cleaning composition for the cleaning of carpets. The cleaning composition comes in a throw-away, disposable container which is inserted into the rug cleaner for use.

Description

Many consider wall-to-wall carpeting to be the peak of luxury; housewiYes love it ~or the warm atmosphere it brings, businessmen value it for the air of corporate dignity it lends their offices; but to those who m~st clean and : 15 maintain it, wall-to-wall carpeting is an immense : headache. It must ba cleaned in place, the clean-ing must be accomplished in~a relatively short time and if the carpet i5 not kept scrupulously clean, its life may be severly shortened. For these reasons, the carpet cleaning industry is constantly seeking improved methods and machinery for cleaning carpets.
Recently, a radically new approach to cleaning carpets has been developed which uses a po~wdered cleaning composition containing a mixture of extremely porous solid paxticles and a solvent. This new cleaning co~positlon is - described in U. S. Patent Number 4~013,594 and '. ~

3~3 and has proved especially effective in removing soil from carpets. Furtherl only a short inter-v~l is required between appli.cation and removal o~ the powdered cleaning composition. Using this new cleaning composition, it has now become possible to clean wall-to-wa:Ll carpets in offices, stores and residences with little disruption of normal affairs.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a lightweight, low cost carpet cleaner which uses a powder~d clea~in~ composition to clean carpets in place.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a device for applying a substantially dry cleaning powder on a surface to to cleaned~ such as a carpet comprising: a hollow container having a first section and a second section at an angle to said first section, a cylindrical powder transfer element rotatably mounted in said hollow container, said first section having a wall member which is . -substantially perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned when such surface is contacted by said cylindrical powder transfer element, a brush member mounted on said wall member having the bristles thereof substantially perpendicular thereto, means mounting a disposable powder container in said second section in communication with said cylindrical powder transfer element to supply cleaning powder thereto and a handle means connected to the outside of said hollow container to aid in moving said hollow container over the surface to be cleaned.

D~ 2 ~ . .

~3~L~3 Other objects and ~dvant~ges of the inven-tion will become readily apparent as the specifi~
cation proceeds to descr~be the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 ls an end yiew of the new carpet cleaner in the powder distri.bution position Figure 2 is a view telken on line 2-2 o~
Figure l;
~igure 3 is an end view o~ the new carpet cleaner in the cleaning position; and Figure 4 is a modification of the carpet powder container and its mounting in the carpet cleaner.
Looking now t~ Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 10 represents generally the new and improved carpet cleaner. The carpet cleaner 10 consists basically of a container . r~ -2a-.~ ~

3~3 support member 12 and a handle 14. The container support member 12 consists of a hollow powder support portion 16 and a cleaning section 18 at an. angle to the powder support portion 16. The cleaning section 18 has a cylinder with a rough or porous surace, such as a reticulated ;Eoam cylinder 20 rotabl~ mounted thereon in communi~
cation with -the hollow powder support portion 16 and a brush 22 mounted on the end thereof for reasons hereina~-ter explained. The h~ndle 14 is secured -to the back 24 of the hollow powder support portion 16 by a paix o~ U-shaped 1anged brackets 26 by screws 28.
The powder dispenser 29 is preferably a throw-away container, which is opened at one end and slid downward until it engages the ~langes 30 at the bottom o~ the hollow powder SUppQrt portion 16 adjacent the ~oam cylinder 2~. In Figures 1-3, the bottom 32 of the ~o~der dis-penser 2~ is ~1anged and is enga~ed by a clip 34 which is secure~ to the handle 1~ b~v Wing nut 36.
In the fo~m of the invention shown in Fi~yre 4l the flanged bottom 32 i~s eliminated and integral elastic cord or wire member 38 is used to wrap around and/or slide over the handle 14.
OPERATION
When the carpet cleaner lQ is to be used, the powder container 2~ is opened at the lower end and placed in the holIow powder section 16 .

l3 and secured to the handle 1~, as in Fiyures 3 or 4. The cleaner lO is then placed on the carpet or surface 36 -to be cleaned and guided over -the surface 36 by the handle 14. As -the cleaner 10 is moved over the surEace, the cylinder 20 rotates to deposlt cleaning powder rom the container 29 onto khe surface 36. When the surface 36 has been covered with powder, the cleaner lO is turned over and the brush 22 is l~ ~laced into contact with the sur~ace 36, as in Figure 3. The powder is rubbed on-to the sux~ace 36 to loosen the di.rt therein which, along wlth powder, is swep-t up a~terwards by a Vacuum cleaner.
lS As described above, it can readily be seen that an improved carpet cleaner has been provided which is simple in construction, in-expensive to manufacture and easy to use, espec-ially by a housewi~e.
2Q Although the p~eierred embodiments ~f the invention have been descri.bed in detail, it is contemplated that many changes may be made with-out departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, and I desire to be li~ited only by the claims.

Claims (3)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A device for applying a substantially dry cleaning powder on a surface to be cleaned, such as a carpet comprising:
a hollow container having a first section and a second section at an angle to said first section, a cylindrical powder transfer element rotatably mounted in said hollow container, said first section having a wall member which is substantially perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned when such surface is contacted by said cylindrical powder transfer element, a brush member mounted on said wall member having the bristles thereof substantially perpendicular thereto, means mounting a disposable powder container in said second section in communication with said cylindrical powder transfer element to supply cleaning powder thereto and a handle means connected to the outside of said hollow container to aid in moving said hollow container over the surface to be cleaned.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical powder transfer element is a cylinder with a rough or porous surface.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the surface of said cylindrical powder transfer element is a reticulated foam.