US3060484A

US3060484A - Floor scrubber

Info

Publication number: US3060484A
Application number: US760348A
Authority: US
Inventors: Don C Krammes
Original assignee: Hoover Co
Current assignee: Hoover Co
Priority date: 1958-09-11
Filing date: 1958-09-11
Publication date: 1962-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1979-10-30

Description

Oct. 30, 1962 D. c. KRAMMES 3,060,484

' FLOOR SCRUBBER Filed Sept. 11, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,D. c. KRAMMES 3,060,484

FLOOR SCRUBBER Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 30, 1962 Filed Sept. 11, 1958 Oct. 30, 1962 D. c. KRAMMES 3,060,434

FLOOR SCRUBBER Filed Sept. 11, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3

United rates hatent t.

3,660,484 Patented Get. 30, 1952 fire 3,060,484 FLOOR SCRUBBER Don C. Krammes, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 11, 1953, Ser. No. 760,348 Claims. (Cl. 15-320) The present invention relates to a surface cleaning appliance and more particularly to a tank in a floor scrubber for dispensing a clean detergent solution onto a surface and collecting dirty detergent solution removed from the surface being cleaned.

An object of the invention is to provide a dual functional tank for use in a iloor scrubber and which includes a collapsible receptacle for clean detergent solution disposed within a rigid receptacle for collecting dirty detergent solution. Another object is to provide a floor scrubber with a dual functional tank and valve means for a collapsible receptacle to dispense clean detergent solu tion and also to refill the collapsible receptacle with clean detergent solution. A further object is to provide a dual functional tank for a floor scrubber and wherein a rigid receptacle has a top opening to receive dirty detergent solution and a collapsible receptacle is connected to an opening in the lower end of the rigid receptacle whereby upon upending the tank the dirty detergent solution is emptied from the rigid receptacle and the lower opening exposed for refilling the collapsible receptacle. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a broken side elevational view, partly in section of a floor scrubber which embodies the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a section of the tank attached to the scrubber and the valve in position to dispense a clean detergent solution,

FIGURE 3 is a section of the dual functional tank removed from the scrubber and the valve in fully opened position for refilling the collapsible receptacle with clean detergent solution, and

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2.

The invention is disclosed in a floor scrubbing appliance comprising a nozzle provided with scrubbing bristles 11 and the nozzle is attached to an upwardly extending wet suction tube 12, the upper end 13 of which is connected with a bore 14 in a support 15 The bore 14 communicates with the interior of an air-water separator 16 of suitable construction known in the art. Supported on the air-water separator 16 is a motor-fan unit 17 provided with a fan 18 disposed in a fan chamber 19 having an inlet 20 communicating with the interior of the air-water separator 16 and having an outlet 21 for escape of air. A handle 22 is removably attached to the support 15 and is provided with a switch 23 suitably connected to the motor-fan unit 17 to control the latter. A pair of wheels 24 is mounted on the conduit 12 and cooperates with the bristles 11 to support the appliance in an inclined position on a surface 25 to be cleaned. Above the nozzle 10 is a platform 26 provided with a dispensing conduit 27 having a funnel shaped inlet 28 at its upper end and its lower end 29* is arranged rearwardly of the nozzle 10 for escape of clean detergent solution onto the surface 25.

Arranged between the platform 26 and the lower peripheral edge 30 of the air-water separator 16 is a dual functional tank 31 and the latter is removably attached to the air-water separator 16 by a pair of oppositely disposed clamps 32. The tank 31 comprises an outer rigid receptacle 33 and an interiorly disposed collapsible receptacle 34 made of water impervious material such as a flexible plastic. The rigid receptacle 33 has an annular side wall 35, a top flange 36 defining an upper opening 37 and a bottom wall 33. A skirt portion 39 of the side wall extends below the bottom wall 38 and is provided with a marginal slot 40 adjacent the conduit 12 to receive the funnel 28 as the tank is attached to the appliance. The upper opening 37 in the receptacle 3 3 communicates with the outlet 41 in the air-water separator 16 to receive the dirty detergent solution removed from the surface being cleaned.

Projecting upwardly from the tank bottom wall 38 is a boss 42 to which the opening 43 of the collapsible receptacle 34 is secured by a suitable garter spring 44. The bore 4-5 in the boss 42 is provided with a spider construction comprising four spaced ribs 46 each having an upper vertical portion 47', an inclined portion 48 and a lower vertical portion 49. Mounted on the tank bottom wall 38 is a valve support 50 having an opening 51 and a lug 52 which projects inwardly of the opening and is provided with a port 53 in which is slidably mounted the stem 54- of a valve 55 The valve 55 has a portion 56 which is adapted to engage the vertical and

inclined portions

47 and 48 respectively of the ribs 46, and the stem 4 engages the lower portions 49 of the ribs 46 to guide the valve 55 in its movements to opened and closed positions. The upper end of the valve 55 has a flange 58 which seats against a gasket 59 attached to the boss 42 to close the opening 45 and prevent escape of clean detergent solution from within the collapsible receptacle 34. The valve 55 is biased to closed position by a spring 60 which is arranged between the lug 52 and a knurled knob 61. A pin 62 on the stem 54 is adapted to engage a ledge 63 on the valve support 50 to hold the valve in open position as shown in FIGURE 3.

The valve 55 is controlled by a lever 65 pivotally secured at 66 to the conduit 12 and has one lever arm 67 projecting through the marginal slot 40 in the tank skirt 39 into engagement with the lower surface of the knurled knob 61. The lever arm 67 is provided with a substantially U-shaped offset portion 64 to bypass. the funnel 28. The opposite lever arm 68 abuts the lower end '69 of a rod 70 slidably mounted in spaced brackets 71 attached to the conduit 12. A spring 72 is arranged between the lower bracket 71 and a collar 73 secured to the rod 70 and at all times urges the rod upwardly to valve closed position to allow the valve spring 60 to move the valve 55 to closed position and pivot the lever 65 in a counterclockwise direction.

The upper end of the rod '70 is offset to provide a handle 74 for manipulating the rod and is adapted to be seated in spaced

recesses

75 and 76 in a member 77 mounted on the conduit 12. When the handle 74 is in the upper recess 76 the valve spring 60 is free to move the valve 55 to close position and when the handle is moved downwardly into the lower recess 75- against the force of the rod spring 72 the lever 65 is pivoted clockwise to move the valve 55 to its open position shown in FIGURE 2.

In operation, the bag 34 is first filled with a clean detergent solution by releasing the tank clamps 32 to re-. move the tank from the appliance. The tank 31 is upended and the operator depresses the knob 61 and rotates the latter to position the pin 62 against the ledge 63 to hold the valve 55 in opened filling position as shown in FIGURE 3. Clean detergent solution is then poured through the opening 51 and the valve port 45 until the bag 34 is filled and thereafter the knob 61 is rotated to engage the pin 62 from the ledge 63 and the valve spring 60 moves the valve flange 58 into sealing engagement with the gasket 59. The tank 31 is then replaced on the appliance and the clamps 32 locked to secure the upper 3 flange 36 of the tank into water tight engagement with a defining edge 38 of the air-water separator 16.

When the tank 31 is reattached to the appliance, the bag 34 being flexible and fully charged with clean detergent solution settles to the lower portion of the rigid receptacle as shown in dotted lines 78 in FIGURE 2 and provides a vacant space 79 thereabove for collection of dirty detergent solution discharged from the opening 41 in the air-water separator 16.

The valve operating handle 74 is removed from the upper recess 76 and moved downwardly into the lower recess 75. During such downward movement of the rod 70 the lower end 69 engages the lever arm 68 and rotates the lever 65 clockwise causing the lever arm 67 to engage the knob 61 and move the valve stem 54 upwardly to lift the valve flange 58 out of engagement with the gasket 59 to uncover the port 45, as shown in FIGURE 2, for escape of clean liquid detergent solution. The detergent solution drops into the funnel 23 and flows through the dispensing tube 27 onto the surface 25 rearwardly of the nozzle 10.

The nozzle is then reciprocated along the surface 25 and the bristles 11 distribute the clean detergent Solution which loosens the dirt from the surface 25 and becomes a dirty detergent solution. When the scrubbing operation is completed the valve rod 78 is shifted upwardly to seat the handle 74 in the upper recess 76 and permit the valve 55 to close under the bias of the spring 60 whereby flow of clean detergent solution through the valve port 45 will cease.

The dirty detergent solution is removed from the surface 25 by closing the switch 23 to energize the motorfan unit 18 and provide suction in the nozzle 10. The nozzle 10 is then moved across the previously scrubbed surface 25 and the suction draws the dirty detergent solution upwardly through the nozzle 10 and conduit 12 into the separator 16 where the dirty detergent solution will be separated from the air stream and the clean air will be drawn into the fan chamber inlet 20 and discharged through the exhaust opening 21. The separated dirty detergent solution falls through the separator outlet 41 and the top opening 37 of the rigid receptacle 33 into the latter and settles in the space 79 around and above the bag 34.

As the clean detergent solution is dispensed from the bag 34 the upper wall portion of the latter will collapse and fall from its original position 78 to an assumed lower position similar to that shown at 80 in FIGURE 2, and the dirty detergent solution removed from the surface will be deposited through the separator opening 41 into the rigid receptacle 33 and fill the space between 78 and 80 previously occupied by the bag 34-. The collapsible bag 34 is shown smaller than the rigid receptacle 33. However, in actual practice the relative dimensions are such that the capacity of the bag 34 for the clean detergent solution is substantially that of the rigid receptacle 33 so that the latter accumulates and stores all the dirty detergent solution at the end of the scrubbing operation.

In order to empty the rigid receptacle 33 the tank 31 is removed from the appliance and upended whereby the dirty detergent solution flows out of the top opening 37 of the rigid receptacle. At this time the bag 34 may be refilled with clean detergent solution by depressing the valve 55 to uncover the port 45 in the same manner previously described, and thereafter the tank 31 is reattached to the appliance by means of the clamps 32.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A surface scrubbing appliance comprising: a body having a nozzle for scrubbing a surface, means for dispensing a clean liquid onto the surface, a tank removably attached to said body and including an outer rigid receptacle for collecting dirty liquid removed from the surface and a collapsible receptacle having an open end within said rigid receptacle for storing a clean liquid, conduit means connected with said nozzle and terminating in a fixed outlet adjacent the upper end of said rigid collecting receptacle for conveying dirty liquid from said nozzle to said outlet, means defining a collecting and emptying opening at the upper end of said rigid receptacle and removably connected with said fixed conduit means outlet for entrance of dirty liquid from said conduit means into said rigid receptacle and said upper opening providing for passage of the dirty liquid from said rigid receptacle to empty the latter when said tank is disconnected from said conduit means outlet by removal from said body and is upended, means defining an opening at the lower end of said tank communicating with said dispensing means, and means securing the open end of said collapsible receptacle to said opening in the lower end of said tank and in fluid flow relationship thereto for passage of clean liquid through said lower opening to said dispensing means.

2. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve means operable to uncover said tank lower opening for pouring clean liquid into said collapsible receptacle to refill the latter when said tank is removed from said body and is upended.

3. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve means for controlling flow of clean liquid from said collapsible receptacle through said tank lower opening to said dispensing means and for uncovering said tank lower opening to pour clean liquid into said collapsible receptacle to refill the latter upon upending said tank when detached from said body.

4. A surface scrubbing appliance according to claim 1, and valve means mounted on said tank for controlling flow of clean liquid from said collapsible receptacle through said tank lower opening to said dispensing means, and said valve means removable with said tank and operable when said tank is upended to uncover said tank lower opening for pouring clean liquid into said collapsible receptacle to refill the latter.

5. A combined floor scrubber and floor drying appliance comprising, a suction floor nozzle constructed for scrubbing the floor and for picking up dirty water therefrom, a suction tube connected to said nozzle, a combined detergent dispensing and dirty water collecting tank removably supported on said appliance above said nozzle, a detergent dispensing connection formed in the lower end of said tank, an open ended flexible bag within said tank for storing detergent, means securing said open end of said flexible bag to said dispensing connection and in fluid flow relationship to said dispensing connection to conduct detergent thereto, and a water separator in said suction tube and connected in liquid flow relationship to the upper end of said tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,390,176 Struve Sept. 6, 1921 1,687,283 Deutscher Oct. 9, 1928 1,849,663 Finnell Mar. 15, 1932 1,892,347 Jerome Dec. 27, 1932 1,910,727 Walter May 23, 1933 1,979,797 Finnell Nov. 6, 1934 2,394,415 Wilkinson et al Feb. 5, 1946 2,554,570 Harvey May 29, 1951 2,798,639 Urban July 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 67,806 Denmark Oct. 4, 1948