GB1210536A - A combined floor treating and liquid pick-up appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

1,210,536. Cleaning apparatus. HOOVER Ltd. 14 Nov., 1967 [15 Nov., 1966], No. 51856/67. Heading A4F. [Also in Division F2] A combined floor cleaning and liquid pick-up appliance comprises a reversible electric motor 47 arranged to drive a suction fan 62 which communicates with a nozzle 70 for drawing up liquid from a floor, a rotary tool 45 arranged to be driven by a transmission from the electric motor 47 and arranged to be automatically raised and lowered relative to the floor in dependence on the direction of rotation of the motor 47, whereby in one direction of rotation the tool 45 bears on the floor and the nozzle 70 is raised therefrom whereas in the other direction of rotation the tool 45 is moved to a raised position to permit nozzle 70 to contact the floor. As shown, a vertical shaft 11 having a lower threaded portion 12 is drivably connected to the motor 47 and a carrier 13 which is threaded on the portion 12 is drivingly connectable to the tool 45 via a coupling 18 releasably attached thereto. The tool 45 which may be a brush having bristles extending from an annular backing 25 is provided in the region of a central recess (24) (Fig. 3, not shown) with projections (43), (44) which engage with driving recesses (38, 39) (Fig. 6, not shown) in the carrier 13 only when the shaft 11 is driven in the direction to cause the carrier 13, the coupling 18 connected thereto, and hence the brush 45 to move to the lowered position where the brush 45 engages the floor, rotation of the shaft 11 in the other direction being arranged to raise the carrier upwardly to lift the brush away from the floor but to cause relative axial movement between the coupling 18 and the carrier 13 whereby the projections (43, 44) on the brush are drivingly disengaged from the recesses (38, 39) on the carrier 13. Washers 26, 37 limit axial movement of the carrier 13 on the shaft 11 and an inertia plate 27 may be fixed to the carrier 13 to ensure that it rotates with the shaft 11 only when it abuts one of the two washers 26, 27. Stops, however, are provided to maintain the brush stationary when in its raised position. In an alternative arrangement, the brush (79) (Fig. 12, not shown) is attached by springs (80) to a carrier (76) which is mounted on a cylindrical brush (75) threaded on to the lower portion (74) of the shaft (72), co-operating stops on the brush, the shaft and a body member of the appliance being arranged to prevent rotation of the brush (i) in its raised position relative to the body member and (ii) in its lowered position relative to the shaft. In a further alternative arrangement (Fig. 13, not shown) the shaft to which the brush is drivingly connectable by a carrier-coupling arrangement is driven axially within a brush to a raised or lowered position according to its direction of rotation. The shafts of the different arrangements may be provided with double threads and parts of the appliance may be of plastics material. The appliance may be provided with two shafts connected suitably through gearing to the electric motor.