US20100299854A1

US20100299854A1 - Hydro-wash-aspirator

Info

Publication number: US20100299854A1
Application number: US12/599,285
Authority: US
Inventors: Ignacio Fernandez Gonzalez
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-05-09
Filing date: 2008-07-07
Publication date: 2010-12-02
Also published as: ES2331217B1; ES2331217A1; EP2236223A2; WO2008139332A2; WO2008139332A3

Abstract

The subject device of the invention is electric and used for cleaning, especially for washing and waxing cars. The main characteristic thereof is to spray cleaning solution, wash and aspirate the removed dirt and store same. The first, tri-functional operation is performed by the head, comprising a brush with a preferably circular cross-section wherein the scrubbing bristles (1) in the frontal view of the drawn example form a circular crown; interspersed between said bristles are the pipes for spraying the washing solution (3), which are channelled from the pipe (4) which together with the wider cross-section aspiration pipes forms the barrel and in the FIGURE exits in the centre. Said barrel joins the head to the handle. The interior volume, limited by the scrubbing bristles (1), the face (2) of the head bearing said bristles and the surface for cleaning form a chamber wherein washing and aspiration take place. If these limits also are also taken to include the mouths of the spraying and aspiration conduits, this completes the head washing-aspiration system, which is the main basis of said tri-functional operation: spraying the cleaning solution, washing and aspirating. When cleaning begins the volume stored by the sac containing the cleaning product is full and therefore expanded and that containing the waste product is folded; as cleaning progresses the volume of the former reduces, it folds in on itself and the volume of the latter begins to unfold and expand, for both are flexible and impermeable. Both sacs are also extractable for replacement purposes.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. Mechanical Field
The invention constitutes an apparatus for simultaneously carrying out the three operations involved in cleaning: spraying the cleaning solution; scrubbing; and aspirating the dirt just loosened from the surface being cleaned. Furthermore, it leaves the spent product stored in a removable pouch that occupies the same volume as was previously occupied by the pouch with cleaning solution.
Due to the fact that the available space for storing the cleaning solution, which is contained in a flexible and impermeable pouch, is full at the start of the scrubbing operation, while the one that stores this same solution with the aspirated dirt is empty and folded, the idea is to use the same capacity for both independent pouches each being connected to its corresponding conduits.
2. Prior Art
The devices intended for the purpose proposed in the present application are classified as those for household and industrial cleaning. Besides other characteristics, they have evolved toward increasing the simultaneous operations that they can perform, ranging from those that merely spray water or spray steam and those that aspirate to those that spray water and scrub at the same time, and lastly those that spray steam and at the same time aspirate dust and liquid. An explanation in regard to this topic can be found in “Document 1” of this application.
The technical statement of the problem is basically related to the existence of a huge population of cars whose owners are obliged to wash them only at facilities dedicated to this purpose, expending fuel, time and money, all of which parameters are increasingly scarce in modern life. What is more, there is a lack of an apparatus that can perform this activity at home. Moreover, the resource primarily used in this activity is water, the most precious natural resource, whose conservation is becoming increasingly essential both among the population and in industry, and whose expenditure in the special car washing facilities is very substantial.
Solution to the Stated Problem:
The present invention incorporates, in the operation of scrubbing by means of the brush, a kind of chamber where the three operations of spraying the cleaning solution, scrubbing, and aspiration take place at the same time. The actual cleaning solution that is absorbed and expelled through the face of the head, along with the dirt recently loosened by the triple action of the scrubbing bristles: by acting on the dirt, loosening it, at the same time they retain the spent solution for the time necessary for it to be absorbed and in turn let air in from the outside, drawn in by the aspirating power that allows this to take place. The aspiration pipe also emerges in the aforesaid face of the head.
For better comprehension, it is necessary to refer to a specific case, or a particular drawing. For example, the drawing shows a head whose face (2) supporting the scrubbing bristles (1) is circular, and the scrubbing bristles themselves are arranged in the form of a cylinder. The conduit that sprays (4) the cleaning liquid is split into several parts, which emerge (3) in the aforesaid face, specifically between the scrubbing bristles, such that when it exits from the apparatus it makes contact directly with the scrubbing bristles and then with the surface being cleaned. The movement of the brush loosens the dirt, assisted by the cleaning solution, which dissolves it. This resulting spent solution is retained just long enough to be absorbed in the central part of the aforesaid face by the aspiration pipe (5), due to the action of the absorptive power and conditioned by the entry of air from the outside among the scrubbing bristles. The spent solution is conducted to the pouch, which stores this product that is produced as the cleaning occurs, while the pouch storing the cleaning liquid is emptied.
All of which is fundamentally possible because of:
1. The use of two conduits, one to discharge the clean water flow with the cleaning solution and another for the entry of the latter with the dirt produced by the scrubbing and dissolved in it;
2. By the arrangement of the two conduits, which emerge into the head, formed by a brush. The first conduit can be split into various parts to emerge among the cells, each of which carries an abundance of scrubbing bristles, arranged in the example in the form of a hoop, so as to facilitate the operation of scrubbing and at the same time retain the water with the cleaning solution and the recently loosened dirt for the time needed until this entire new, spent solution is aspirated, thanks to the large aspiration power of around 1400 W, and so that the scrubbing bristles while retaining the solution resulting from the scrubbing also allow air to come in from the outside. The second conduit emerges, in the example, in the center of the face which bears the scrubbing bristles and which is of larger diameter;
3. The high power to aspirate while at the same time spraying the cleaning solution and both functions controlled from the handle or from the handle and the barrel;
4. The use of the same volume to hold the two pouches of flexible and impermeable material, one belonging to the cleaning solution and one used to store the spent solution, since as the cleaning is done with the apparatus the volume of the former is being reduced, and in turn the volume of the other pouch intended for the aspirated spent product is increasing.
The Principal Advantages Compared to the Prior Art are:
1. it enables converting the activity of car washing and waxing, which can only be done at present in specific facilities requiring considerable investment, almost into a household activity;
2. it enables an increase in the sector of independent contractors by lowering the cost of investment to carry out this activity on one's own. Which is worthy of more attention at the present time, on account of job growth;
3. Savings of fuel, time and money for the car owners who need to keep their vehicles clean;
4. Savings of water in this activity, since the spraying of the cleaning liquid, the scrubbing and the aspiration of the solution with the dissolved dirt is done in pinpointed manner and not, as is done at present, where the liquid, both the cleaning liquid and the rinse liquid, repeatedly passes over a large part of the surface being scrubbed;
5. Use of the same volume to store the two pouches, the one containing the cleaning liquid and the one containing the spent solution.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

It should preferably be implemented in devices with a minimum capacity between 30 and 50 liters. This capacity will be common to both pouches, the one that stores the cleaning product and the one intended for the spent product, since the two of them have a volume which is the inverse of the other, being made of flexible or foldable and impermeable material, each one being connected to its respective conduit. It should have an aspiration power between 1400 and 1800 W, and lesser aspiration [sic]. The spray openings will be of small diameter, approximately 2 mm or so, and they will be distributed between the cells that support the scrubbing bristles. It should have in its handle a regulator to control the aspiration flow rate, as well as the output pressure; this could be located in the barrel or the pipe supporting the head so that one can control with either hand the output pressure and the aspiration rate. It will have a tank for the solid or liquid detergent, whose capacity should be approximately 1.5% of the capacity of the pouch containing the cleaning solution. The head should be slightly more than 1960 square cm in its circular or rectangular face, where the conduits emerge, and which contains the cells of around 5 cm diameter that support the scrubbing bristles, these latter being grouped into several rows and having a width not greater than 8 cm, which can form a circle or a spiral, of around 4 cm thickness. Their arrangement can form an orthohedron, a cylinder or a truncated cone, and any of the bases of the latter may coincide with the face of the head which supports it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing is an example of the head, showing a front view, a side view, and a top view of a head whose scrubbing bristles (1) are arranged to form a cylinder in which one of its bases is the cleaning surface while scrubbing, the other base being the face (2) proper that supports said scrubbing bristles. In this face emerge all the pipes (3) formed by the conduit which sprays (4) the cleaning liquid, as well as the aspiration conduit (5). In the example, there is an isometric view showing the direction of the fluid in the aspiration conduit and in the spray conduit of the cleaning liquid. The essence is the existence of the chamber where the three operations are carried out, being bounded by the surface being cleaned, the scrubbing bristles, and the face that supports the latter, and in this same face emerge the cleaning liquid spray and the aspiration conduits.

Claims

1. Electrical apparatus with capability of performing the simultaneous operations of spraying the cleaning solution, scrubbing, and aspirating the just loosened and dissolved dirt, storing it. The first trifunctional operation is carried out by the head, formed by a brush that supports the scrubbing bristles, and where both aspiration and the spraying of the cleaning solution emerge. Specifically, what is claimed is the system of scrubbing and aspiration of the head, consisting of the chamber bounded by the face of the head that supports the scrubbing bristles, with these latter and the surface being cleaned being combined with the mouths of the aspiration and spray conduits for the cleaning solution. It can have various shapes, both for the face of the head and for the arrangement of the scrubbing bristles, including the disposition and number of the mouths of the liquid conduits.

2. Common space to store the two pouches, the one that contains the cleaning solution and the one containing the resulting spent solution, since the number representing the volume of one of them is always approximately the inverse of the one representing the volume of the other, and the use of flexible as well as impermeable material for both pouches, which should also be removable so that they can be replaced. Each one being independent of the other and one connected to the cleaning liquid spray conduit and the other to the aspiration conduit.