IE43785B1 - Apparatus for foaming and applying a cleaning agent by movement of the apparatus over material to be treated - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to apparatus for foaming and applying a cleaning agent by movement of the apparatus over material to be treated.

According to the invention, there is provided apparatus for foaming and applying a cleaning agent by movement of the apparatus over material to be treated and comprising a storage container for the cleaning agent to be foamed and a foamproducing and applying roller, to which the cleaning agent is applied and circumferentially succeeding portions of which are periodically compressed, as it is rotated in use, by movement over the material to be treated and by engagement with at Least one cooperating presser roll, the foam-producing and applying roller and the or each presser roll being provided iith a covering of foamed material with a surface area which is enlarged, compared with a plain roller, by alternating raised portions and grooves.

The invention can be implemented in many ways in apparatus laving single, twin, triple or other multiple roller arrangements. :n a preferred embodiment the raised portions are circumferentially extending annular raised portions formed by radially irojecting parts of the foam covering, which lie between the rooves which are annular grooves cut or moulded in the foam overing. This construction has the advantage that substanially no additional material costs are incurred. The raised ortions may be of a greater width than the grooves located etween them. 37SS In another embodiment, the foam coverings are expediently provided with raised portions and grooves which are of identical width. The raised portions and grooves nay have a substantially rectangular cross-section.

The raised portions of the foam producing and applying roller may engage into the grooves in the or each presser roll. This not only improves the foam production but also extracts moisture from the cleaning foam.

Tha foam-producing and applying roller may have its foam covering formed to an undulating profile. Expediently in this respect, the peaks of the undulations are of similar shape and dimensions as the valleys.

Advantageously, the diameter of the or eaoh presser roller is less than that of the foam-producing and applying roller.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a perspective view of apparatus according to the invention in the form of a carpet shampooer; Figure 2 shows apparatus according to Figure 1 viewed from below and with the handle broken away; Figure 3 is a front view of one embodiment of a foamproducing and applying roller for the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a side view of the foam-producing and applying roller of Figure 3? Figure 5 shows another embodiment of an arrangement of rollers for the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2; 437 85 Figure 6 is a side view of the roller arrangement of ?igure 5 ,Figure 7 is a similar view to Figure 6 of a third embodiment of an arrangement of rollers for the apparatus of i'igure 1 comprising a foam-producing and applying roller and mzo presser rolls; Figure 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of a foam>roducing and applying roller for the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 9 is a side view of the foam-producing and pplying roller shown in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figures 1 and 2, pparatus 10 can foam and apply a cleaning agent to a carpet, he apparatus 10 comprises a storage container 11 for holding liquid cleaning agent, a roller arrangement 12 located in a ousing 13, and a handle 14 with a handle grip 15. On the nderside of the handle grip 15 a pivotably mounted actuating evice 16 is provided to operate a valve (not shown) mounted n the bottom of the storage container 11, through which valve he cleaning fluid can drip onto a foam-producing and applying oiler 17. in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the foamroducing and applying roller 17 is a roller with a resilient overing of an absorbent foamed plastics material which cocerates with a presser roll 18. The apparatus 10 is moved a use to and fro over a carpet. During such movement the cam-producing and applying roller 17 is rotated by engagement Lth the carpet and is impregnated with the cleaning liquid lich emerges through the opened valve of the storage container L. As the foam-producing roller 17 is rotated, zones of the ssilient foam covering 21 which succeed one another circumsrentially are compressed periodically by the presser roll 18. ' virtue of such repeated compression and the ensuing relaxation of the resilient foam covering 21 on the foamproducing roller 17, the cleaning liquid is transformed into a foam. The cleaning foam thereby produced is rubbed into the carpet. The cleaning liquid can be poured into the storage container 11 through a filling opening in the top which is closable by a cover 19.

Figures 3 to 9 show different arrangements of rollers 12 which can be fitted in the bottom of the housing 13. Bearings are provided in the walls of the housing to receive mounting journals 20 of the foam-producing roller 17 and those of the presser roller 18.

Figures 3 and 4 show a foam-producing roller 17 which is provided with a foam covering 21, By cutting or moulding, depressions 22 in the form of annular grooves are provided in the foam covering 21. The parts of the covering 21 between the depressions 22 form annular raised portions 23. This construction substantially increases the surface area of the covering 21 of the foam-producing and applying roller 17 compared with a covering with a plain surface.

Figures 5 to 7 show two roller arrangements 12. The first arrangement, shown in Figures 5 and 6, comprises one foam-producing and applying roller 17 and one co-operating presser roll 18, while in the second arrangement, shown in Figure 7, one foam-producing and applying roller 17 co25 operates with two presser rolls 18 which are disposed above it. Xn both cases, the annular raised portions 23 provided in the coverings 21 are of the same width b as the width of the annular grooves 22 located between them. Furthermore, the cross-sections both of the annular portions 23 and also of the annular grooves 22 are of rectangular profile. The presser roll or rolls 18 co-operating with the foam-producing and 37CfJ applying roller 17 have similarly profiled foam coverings 24 but are off-set such that the presser roll or rolls 18 mesh with the foam-producing and applying roller 17, that is to say the annular raised portions 23 of the foam-producing and applying roller 17 engage in the annular grooves 22 of the presser roll or rolls 18.

The foam-producing and applying roller 17 shown in Figures 8 and 9 has a foam covering 25 which has an undulating profile, crests 26 and valleys 27 of the undulations being of the same shape and dimensions and the surface area of the cover ing 25 of the foam-producing and applying roller 17 being there by even further increased compared with a covering with a plain surface.

The embodiments illustrated are only examples of hew the invention may be implemented and many other forms and constructions are possible within the scope of the appehded claims.

For example, the depressions in the foam coverings 21, 24 and 25 could be cut or moulded with a helical configuration.

Claims (10)

1. Apparatus for foaming and applying a cleaning agent by movement of the apparatus over material to be treated and comprising a storage container for the cleaning agent to be foamed and a foam-producing and applying roller, to which the cleaning agent is applied and, circumferentially succeeding portions of which are periodically compressed, as it is rotated in use, by movement over the material to be treated and by engagement with at least one co-operating presser roll, the foam-producing and applying roller and the or each presser roll being provided with a covering of foamed material with a surface area which is enlarged, compared with a plain roller, by alternating raised portions and grooves.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the raised portions are circumferentially extending annular raised portions formed by radially projecting parts of the foam covering, lying between the grooves which are annular grooves cut or moulded in the foam covering.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the raised portions have a greater width, in the axial direction of the roller or roll, than the grooves located between them.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or claim 2 in which the raised portions and the grooves are of the same width in the axial direction of the roller or roll.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, in which the raised portions and the grooves are of substantially rectangular cross-section when received in a plane containing the axis of the roller or roll.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the raised portions of the foam-producing and applying 437 8b roller engage in the grooves of the or each presser roll.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the raised portions and grooves of the covering of the foam-producing roller or roll give it an undulating profile.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, in which the crests of the undulations are of similar shape and dimensions as the valleys.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the or each presser roll is smaller in diameter than the foam-producing and applying roller.

10. Apparatus for foaming and applying a cleaning agent by movement of the apparatus over material to be treated, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and any of Figures 3 and 4, Figures 5 and δ, Figure 7 or Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.