US3840935A

US3840935A - Carpet cleaning machine

Info

Publication number: US3840935A
Application number: US00235157A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Fitzgerald; C Scott
Original assignee: Rolling Systems Inc
Current assignee: Rolling Systems Inc
Priority date: 1972-03-16
Filing date: 1972-03-16
Publication date: 1974-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-15

Abstract

There is disclosed a carpet cleaner utilizing hot water. The cleaner has a floor unit in which hot water is sprayed onto the carpet within a housing and is removed by a vacuum cleaner which draws air into the housing to entrain the water and transport it to a separating tank for disposal. Vigorous cleaning action and efficient water pick-up are obtained by provision of a partition of critical shape and dimension between the spray compartment and water pickup compartment of the floor unit. Also disclosed are improved waste water separation tank, an oscillating scrubbing brush for the unit, and an embodiment operable directly from hot water and sewer lines.

Description

United States Patent [191 Fitzgerald, Jr. et al.

[ Oct. 15, 1974 CARPET CLEANING MACHINE [75] Inventors: Mack A. Fitzgerald, Jr., Plano; Carl W. Scott; Carl W. Scott, Jr., both of Euless, all of Tex. 73 Assignees Rolling Systems, Inc., Euless, Tex.

[22] Filed: Mar. 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 235,157

[52] US. Cl. 15/322 [51] Int. Cl A471 7/00 [58] Field of Search 15/320, 321, 322, 345, 15/420, 381

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 742,880 11/1903 Lotz 15/322 2,635,278 4/1953 Belknap v v 4 15/381 X 3,262,146 7/1966 Hays 15/321 3,605,169 9/1971 Howerin et a1. .1 15/321 K l1 \iy \\|im 3,663,984 5/1972 Anthony et al. 15/321 Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-C. K. Moore Attorney, Agent, or FirmClegg, Cantrell & Crisman [57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a carpet cleaner utilizing hot water. The cleaner has a floor unit in which hot water is sprayed onto the carpet within a housing and is removed by a vacuum cleaner which draws air into the housing to entrain the water and transport it to a separating tank for disposal. Vigorous cleaning action and efficient water pick-up are obtained by provision of a partition of critical shape and dimension between the spray compartment and water pickup compartment of the floor unit. Also disclosed are improved waste water separation tank, an oscillating scrubbing brush for the unit, and an embodiment operable directly from hot water and sewer lines.

1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figures PAHNE'LQEM a 5:21:

SHEET 1 0F 4 FIG. 4

mm m m PATENIED 15W 3.840.935

sum 2 or 4 FIG. 6

PATENIEU UB7 1 51974 3. 840.935

SNEEI 30$ 4 FIG. 7

1 CARPET CLEANING MACHINE BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION This invention relates to carpet cleaners. It is particularly concerned with carpet cleaners of the kind which apply a cleaning liquid such as water (or water plus cleaning agents) to a carpet, effect cleaning of the carpet and then remove the cleaning liquid from the carpet.

In the past, the most widely used system for performing heavy cleaning of soiled rugs and carpets has been that of shampooing. The typical steps involved in the shampooing system include applying a foamy detergent material to the carpet, scrubbing it into the carpet vigorously and allowing it to dry to a gummy residue in powdered form, which residue has a portion of the dirt and soil in the carpet adherent to it. The powdered residue is then removed from the carpet by conventional carpet vacuum cleaner equipment.

The carpet shampooing system just outlined is less than completely satisfactory in several respects. It requires the use of at least two different types of equipment, a scrubber applicator and a vacuum cleaner, and in some systems separate shampoo application equipment is employed. The carpet lies wet for a long period of time between the application and scrubbing steps on the one hand and the vacuum cleaning step on the other. During the time that the carpet is wet, the room in which it is installed is effectively unusable. Indoor drying conditions, of course, vary widely, but'it is typical for hours to be required overall for the drying operation to take place. The powdered residue of the shampoo material is not completely removed from the carpet by the vacuum cleaner. A portion of it sinks tothe lower levels of the carpet structure and remains there. Since it has carpet soil adhered to it, it merely maintains the soil in place in a less visible portion of the carpet. Furthermore, since, as was pointed out, the residue is gummy, it will tend'to attract and fix in the carpet dirt and soil which might otherwise be readily removed by simple maintenance vacuum cleaning. Thus, a rug or carpet which has been shampooed by this system will tend to become resoiled more quickly than a rug or carpet which has not been.

More recently another carpet cleaning system has been employed. It is commonly denominated steam cleaning, although steam is not employed; very hot water (about 160F) is utilized instead. In this system the hot water, into which softeners and phosphate based cleaning agents are sometimes incorporated,is sprayed onto the rug; the liquid is sometimes brushed into the rug by a mechanical brush, and it is immediately removed from the rug by a vacuum cleaner type apparatus, after which the rug is allowed to dry. All of these steps are performed by one piece of equipment, and they are performed substantially continuously and simultaneously. It is this type of equipment with which the present invention is concerned.

The steam cleaning system, considered generally, has several inherent advantages over the shampooing system discussed above. Only one basic labor step is involved, that of moving the equipment across the carpet. Since at least some, and preferably almost all, of the water is physically removed by the vacuum cleaning step in liquid form, instead of being allowed to evaporate, it carries out of the carpet much of the suspended,

emulsified, and entrained soil, leaving the carpet cleaner. Also, since much of the water is physically removed, that which remains will evaporate more quickly, and the carpet will be dry and ready for use more quickly. However, the steam cleaning equipment which has heretofore been available has several deficiencies which impair the performance of the steam cleaning system. The present invention is directed to providing improved carpet cleaning equipment of the steam cleaning type in which these deficiencies are overcome. In previously available equipment, the vacuum head which contacts the carpet grips it tightly throughout the entire periphery of the head. For this reason, all of the air which moves into the vacuum cleaner must pass though the carpet. In a tightly structured carpet, not enough air can move through it to successfully entrain and carry into the vacuum cleaner tank all or even a large part of the water in the carpet. In addition, as the vacuum head is moved across the carpet the. effectiveness with which the prior equipment removed the water tends to vary with variations in the texture of the carpet leaving a striped or uneven cleaning effect on the carpet. Any excess water which is left in the carpet, of course, serves to lengthen the drying time during which the carpet is out of service, and also leaves the carpet less than totally clean, because evaporating waterdoes not carry suspended soil out of the carpet with it.

Previously available equipment ordinarily uses a rotary brush, if any brush is employed, to scrub the hot cleaning liquid into the carpet. Such brushes are commonly mounted within the same housing in which the hot water is sprayed onto the carpet. Rotary brushes require the use of journals and drive systems such as pulleys, and such gear makes it impractical to utilize the equipment very close to walls because the brush with such gear cannot occupy the full width of the unit. Thus, it has been necessary in the past to do the margins of carpeted rooms by hand scrubbing operations. In addition, a rotary brush tends to push over the pile of the carpet in one direction, which is undesirable, because'with some types of fibers, the recovery to upright position of the pile is accomplished very slowly, and sometimes incompletely.

The steam cleaning equipment which has heretofore been available has relied, in the main, on the violence with which the hot water is propelled against the carpet to achieve a'vigorous cleaning action, apart from that provided'by the before-mentioned rotary brushes. In prior equipment, such cleaning action has not always been as vigorous'as is desirable.

In steam cleaning apparatus it is common to have as part of the equipment a hot water supply tank, and a waste water gathering tank. The hot water tank must periodically be filled at a utility tap, and the waste water periodically drained at a sewerage facility such as a sink. While many of the features of the present invention are fully applicable in steam cleaning equipment using supply and storage tanks,'it is also an object of the invention to provide steam cleaning apparatus in which hot wateris supplied directly from utility taps and waste water'is flushed directly to a sewerage outlet.

In prior equipment, the blower mechanism of the vacuum cleaner has commonly been mounted above the waste water gathering tank. Since the hot water, even with cleaning agents incorporated therein, is not a heavily foaming liquid, such location should present no operational difficulties. However, in practical applications, steam cleaning equipment is often employed to clean rugs which have had many prior shampooings. The waste water in such event contains a large amount of shampoo which foams vigorously and interferes with the operation of the vacuum cleaner blower, or alternately, severely limits the practical usable volume of the waste water tank to a fraction of its actual volume, since the tank must be emptied when the foam buildup therein endangers the vacuum cleaner blower.

From the foregoing it can be seen that one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a carpet cleaner of the steam cleaning type in which improved cleaning action is obtained upon application of the hot water to the carpet, through the creation of a zone of high turbulance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide steam cleaning apparatus for carpets which has a very high capability of removing the cleaning water from the carpet to produce a cleaner carpet and to shorten the drying time following cleaning.

A further object of the present invention is to provide steam cleaning apparatus for carpets having improved brush scrubbing means therein which do not objectionably distort the normal pile of the carpet being cleaned, and which make it possible to clean very close to room walls. I

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of steam cleaning apparatus having an improved arrangement of the vacuum cleaner blowerwith respect to the waste water collecting tank so that shampoo foam in the waste water does not impair the operation of the vacuum cleaner blower.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a steam cleaning apparatus for carpets which utilizes utility tap water and utility sewer lines directly, making it unnecessary to have hot water tanks and waste water collecting tanks associated with the equipment.

Further objects and purposes of the present invention may be understood from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, together with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION or THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2.is a somewhat diagramatic cross-sectional side view of the floor unit of FIG. 1, shown on an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1 the section being taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 3t 7 I FIG. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary view of a portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional elevational view similar to that of FIG. 3, but illustrating another embodiment of the floor unit which is provided with a scrubbing brush, the view being drawn on a further enlarged scale.

, FIG. 6 is a rear cross-sectional elevational view of the floor unit illustrated in FIG. 5, the section being taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, drawn partly in section of a tank unit constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the invention adapted to be operated directly from utility water and sewer lines.

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional elevational view of the unit illustrated in' FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of the unit illustrated in FIG. 8, the section being taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The steam cleaning unit illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a floor unit 20 and a tank unit 21 having a hot water tank and a waste water tank. The floor unit is provided with a handle 22 with which an operator can draw the unit across the carpet to be cleaned. The tank unit 21 is also provided with a handle 23 and with wheels 24 so that it can be wheeled about the room in convenient proximity to the floor unit. The floor unit 20 and the tank unit 21 are connected to one another by a flexible vacuum cleaner type hose 25 and water supply hose 26. As discussed below, both the floor unit and the tank unit have electrically operated equipment associated with them and arehence provided with

electric power lines

27 and 28.

The unit of FIG. 1 is operated to clean carpets by first filling the hot water tank with tap water, and heating the water in the tank to the desired temperature. Cleaning chemicals and water softeners are added to the hot water in the tank if desired. The floor unit 20 is then pulled across the carpet to be cleaned by the operator in straight translational motion. Hot water is delivered from the tank unit 21 through water hose 26 to the floor unit, is sprayed upon the carpet in the manner to be described later by'the floor unit, and waste water is removed from the floorand is delivered to the waste water tank through vacuum hose 25. When the hot water tank is empty, the waste water tank will be almost full, and the tankunit at that point is wheeled to a place where the waste water can be emptied to the sewer and fresh water drawn into the hot water tank.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 which show the structure and mode of operation of the floor unit 20 of the unit'illustrated in FIG. 1. As'can best be seen in FIG. 2, floor unit 20 includes a housing 29 which is generally rectangular in both front and side elevations as well as in plan. Housing 29 presents a downwardly open fact to the carpet 30 which is to be cleaned. A partition 31 extends generally transversely across the interior of the housing and divides it into two compartments, a spray compartment 32 in which the cleaning liquid isapplied to the carpet, and a water removal compartment 33. As FIG. 2 is drawn, the normal operating movement of the floor unit 20 is to the right as indicated by arrow 34. Thus, the spray compartment may be considered to be at the front of the unit and the water'removal compartment at the rear.The front wall 35 of housing 29 terminates a short distance above the surface of carpet 30 so that room air may flow into spray compartment 32 during the course of operation. The slot 36 defined by the upper surface of the carpet and the lower edge of front wall 35 is maintained by roller 37 within the spray compartment 32. If desired, roller 37 or equivalent means can be provided exteriorly of housing 20 to serve the same purpose. By contrast, the back wall 35 of housing 29 is in sealing contact with the carpet 30. The side walls (not numbered) of housing 29 are similarly in sealing contact with the carpet 30. In the portion of the unit occupied by spray compartment 32, the sealing of the side walls against the carpet assures that violent spray will be contained within the compartment and will not escape objectionably into the room. In the region of the second or water removing compartment 33, the sealing of the back wall and side walls ensures that the only air movingthrough said second compartment enters by way of the spray compartment in a manner to be described.

Within spray compartment 32 there is mounted a transversely extending vane 39. Also mounted within spray compartment 32 is spray header 40 on which is mounted a plurality of spray nozzles 41. The arrangement of equipment just described, and particularly the structure and arrangement of partition 31 are of importance in the achievement of the objects of improved, vigorous cleaning action and improved water pick-up. The manner in which these objects are accomplished can best be understood by a consideration of FIG. 4. As can be seen from that figure, partition 31 is configured so that its bottom edge 42 is spaced above the top surface of carpet 30. While there is necessarily some imprecision in the definition of a slot one edge of which is formed of a flexible material such as carpeting, the slot so defined by the carpet 30 and edge 42 has been found to be of critical dimension. It should have a height between about one thirty-second of an inch and about one-half inch. Preferably the height of slot 43 is between about 1/8 inch and 3/ 16 of an inch.

The surface 44 of partition 31 which faces the first or spray compartment 32 is preferably placed at an angle to the carpet. This angle has been found to be critical for the purposes of the invention and preferably lies between about 40 and about 50, with the optimum being at about 45. Spray nozzles 41 are preferably mounted at an angle so that they direct a spray toward the carpet in a path generally parallel to the surface 44 of partition 31. Vane 39 is also preferably positionedbetween the spray nozzles 40 and surface 34 so that it too is generally parallel to surface 44 and like it defines an angle between about 40 and about 50 with carpet 30.

When a vacuum is applied to the water removal compartment 33, and when a high pressure spray is directed from nozzles 41, the foregoing arrangement of equipment produces the following effects. Air is drawn into the spray compartment 32 through slot 36. It moves toward slot 43. Because of the constricted area of slot 43, the air velocity in that region is very high and the flow, as a consequence, is extremely turbulent. The angled surface 44 and the angled vane 39 aid in the development of this turbulence. While surface 44 alone contributes to channeling air flowto cause turbulence at slot 43, surface 44 and vane 39 cooperate to provide converging airflow paths which join turbulently at slot 43. The turbulence, in conjunction with the violence of the spray issuing from nozzles 41 produces a zone of very vigorous cleaning action near the lower edge 42 of partition 31. In addition, the slot 43 ensures that there will be a copious flow of air into the water removal compartment 33. As pointed out above, the equipment previously available provided a tight seal of a partition between the spray compartment and vacuum compartment and the flow of air between the two compartments was limited by the restrictive airflow paths available through the body of the carpet itself. The copious flow of air provided in accordance with the present invention entrains a large proportion of the water which has been applied to the carpet and transports it upwardly through compartment 33 and out of the floor unit into and through vacuum'hose 25. Approximately to percent of the water is thus removed from the carpet and it carries with'it a proprotionately larger share of the dirt and soil which was in the carpet with it.

The above-mentioned dimensions of slot 43 and the angles for surface 44 and vane 39 are critical to the achievement of the mode of operation just described. If slot 43 is less than about one thirty-second of an inch in height, the turbulent effect diminishes and insufficient air can pass through the slot to pick up an optimum amount of water. If slot 43 is greater than about one-half inch in height, the vigorous cleaning action resulting from turbulence is substantially lost. If the angles of surface 44 and vane 39 are outside the range of about 40 to about 50, their function of developing turbulence is impaired.

For clarity of illustration, arrows have been included on FIGS. 2 and 4 to illustrate the process as just described. Arrows 45 show the converging flow of air through spray compartment 32 toward slot 43. Dashed lines 46 indicate generally the water spray path. Curled arrows 47 in the vicinity of slot 43 represent the turbulent zone just discussed. Arrows 48 in water removal compartment 33 show the path of movement of air and entrained water upwardly through that compartment.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 5 and 6 which illustrate an alternate'embodiment of the floor unit. The parts which correspond to the parts discussed in connection with FIGS. 2 through 4 have been given the same numbers on FIGS. 5 and 6. The floor unit 20 of FIGS. 5 and 6 is equipped with brush means designated generally as 49. The brush means 49 includes a bristle supportingplate 50 supported on an axle 51 which is journaled into the

side walls

52 and 53 of the floor unit. A rod 54 is attached to the plate 50 and is driven back and forth in a vibratory manner as illustrated by the dotted position of rod 54 appearing in FIG. 5 by the vibratory transmission 56 of electric motor 57 positioned atop the housing '20.

In the bottom edge of plate 50 are mounted bristles 51 which contact the top surface of the carpet 30. As can best be seen in FIG. 6, plate 50 extends across substantially the entire width of the spray compartment 32 and carries bristles throughout its full width. As a consequence, when one of the

side walls

52 or 53 of the floor unit is placed closely adjacent a room wall, scrubbing action by the brush will be applied to the carpet practically right up to the room wall. This is of great advantage, since it makes a separate labor operation of hand scrubbing near the wall of the room unnecessary. The parts are so proportioned that the motor 57 drives the brush bristles 51 through a stroke of approximately three-fourths of an inch at a rate between about 1,500 and 2,000strokes per minute. It has been found that brushing action in this speed range produces the optimum cleaning effect obtainable from a brush. The oscillating motion of the brush bristles on the carpet does not have the objectionable effect of forcing the carpet pile over in one direction since each section of carpet will be brushed many times in opposite directions by the rapidly oscillating brush bristles as the floor unit is moved relatively slowly in the direction indicated by arrow 34. The carpet 30 thereby retains its original pile configuration, (usually upright) notwithstanding the scrubbing action of the brush. It will be noted from FIG. that the brush is positioned between spray nozzles 41 and the zone of slot 43, and the scrubbing action is thus applied to the carpet immediately after the spray contacts the rug and just before the zone of turbulence in slot 43 applies a further vigorous cleaning action to the carpet.

FIG. 7 illustrates tank unit 21 of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Such a tank unit is also useful with the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, and can even be advantageously employed with floor units of structure and configuration different from any discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 through 6. As was previously mentioned, tank unit 21 is equipped with wheels 24 so that it may be rolled about the room being cleaned in convenient proximity to the floor unit. The interior of tank unit 21 is divided by interior partition 58 into a hot water tank 59 and a waste liquid recovery tank 60. The hot water tank 59 has an opening 61 at the top so that water and cleaning chemicals can be conveniently introduced into it. Opening 61 is covered by a lid (not shown) to prevent heat loss when the tank unit is in operation. Hot water tank 59 is also provided with a heater well 62 in which are mounted one or more electric heating elements. Water in proximity to the heating elements moves upwardly by covection into the body of the hot water tank 59 and water which has cooled while in the tank 59 flows down into the hot well 62 by convection where it is reheated. Hot water tank 59 is also provided 7 with a drain plug 63. Conventional thermostatic controls are provided for the electric heaters and temperature reporting thermometers may be installed if desired. In operation, hot water from tank 59 is pumped through water outlet line 64 to and through hot water hose 26 to the floor unit by means of a pump which may conveniently be located underneath the covering 65 (see FIG. 1) atop floor unit 20. The pump, in addidefines the bottom of compartment 68 and separates it from the main volume of waste water tank 60. A conduit 70 extends from a fitting 71 at the bottom of waste water tank 60 upwardly through filter material 69 to the interior spaceof upper compartment 68. The top of compartment 68 is defined and enclosed by the lid (not shown) of tank unit 21. An electric vacuum cleaner motor and blower 72 is mounted beneath the waste water tank 60, and the inlet of the blower unit is in communication with conduit 70. The waste water tank is also provided with a drain outlet 73 which may be equipped with a conventional valve. A baffle 74 extends downwardly from walls 67 of the upper compartment on the side thereof adjacent inlet nozzle 66.

When the blower of the vacuum cleaner unit 72 is operated, air and entrained water from the floor unit pass through vacuum hose 25 and enter the waste compartment 60 through nozzle 66. Upon entering the compartment, the air and water velocity drops vastly as a consequence of the much greater area of the compartment as compared to the cross sectional area of the vacuum hose 25. Since the air velocity is much lower in the waste water compartment, the entrained water falls out of it as indicated diagramatically by the droplets 75. In addition, the baffle 74 tends to knock down entrained water impinging upon it. The air follows torturous paths indicated by arrows 76 upwardly through filter material 69 and into upper compartment 68. At this point the direction of air flow is reversed to a downward path through conduit and into and through the blower of vacuum cleaner unit 72. As the waste water accumulates in the tank, it is often accompanied by a large volume of shampoo foam resulting from previous shampoo cleaning of the carpet. The filter element 69, in combination with the airflow path just described, prevents such foam from being drawn into the interior of the vacuum cleaner motor.

In FIGS. 8 through 10, there is shown another embodiment of the present invention which is constructed so that it can utilize hot water drawn directly from a utility line and dispose of the waste water directly to a building sewer line. As can be seen in FIG. 8, the unit designated generally as 80 includes a housing 29 substantially like the housing illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and an upper unit 81 which contains the machinery, together with a small tank in which separation of air and waste water is etfected. Handle 82 is provided so that an operator may draw the unit and transversely across a carpet to be cleaned. If the handle 82 is regarded as being mounted on the front of the machine, then it can be seen from'FIGS. 8 and 9 that the upper portion of the unit 81 is sloped downwardly to the rear. Such a configuration is desirable because it provides the operator with good visibility of the portion of the carpet that he has just traversed.

The structure and equipment within housing 29' is substantially like that of the equipment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and its mode of operation is also substantially the same. For these reasons, FIGS. 9 and 10 have been marked with primed reference characters for corresponding parts and reference is made to the foregoing description for an understanding of the operation of such equipment.

A horizontal partition 83 divides upper unit 81 into a waste water separation tank 84 and a machinery compartment 85. Within compartment 85 are mounted vacuum cleaner motor and blower 86, waste water standpipe 87, waste pump 88, and discharge line 89, in which is mounted spring loaded check valve 90. Also located in compartment 85 is hot water pump 91, in hot waterline 92. Vacuum hose 93 connects water removal I compartment 33' with tank 84.

Waste water separation tank 84 is provided'with partition means 93 defining a generally rectangular compartment 94 in the upper rear portion of tank 84. The outer wall of this compartment is formed by hinged door 95, while the base of the compartment is formed by porous filter material 96. Conduit 97 places the inlet of the blower of vacuum unit 86 in communication with the interior of compartment 94.

On the front of upper unit 81 in a position convenient to the operator there is mounted chemical feed apparatus 98. It comprises two reservoirs for liquid chemicals in interruptable communication with a venturi section of hot water line 92. One reservoir contains cleaning chemicals, and is provided with valve means of the onoff type operated by button 99 which means allows such chemicals to be aspirated into hot water flowing through line 92 continuously when desired. The other reservoir contains conventional defoaming chemicals, and is provided with valve means biased to the off position operated by button l00,.which means allows defoaming chemicals to be aspirated into hot water flowing through line 92 at selected times in small quantities, upon momentary depression of button 100.

In operation, the unit shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 is connected through flexible hoses to a hot water tap and a sewer inlet, such as a sink or toilet bowl. Unit 80 is pulled across the carpet to be cleaned in the direction indicated by arrow 34'. Pump 91 delivers hot water to nozzles 40 in housing 29 and the cleaning process described hereinabove occurs. Vacuum unit 86 draws air and entrained water from water removal compartment 33' through hose 93 into separation tank 84. Here the air velocity falls sharply and the entrained water falls out of the air onto partition 83. The air passes through filter material 96 into compartment 84, and thence through conduit 97 to the inlet of vacuum unit 86. Sep

arated water on partition 83 flows into standpipe 87 and is pumped to the sewer outlet by pump 88. The capacity of waste pump 88 is so selected that water is removed from tank 84 at a rate more rapid than it is delivered there, ensuring that the level of water in the tank is always very low. Check valve 90 ensures that pump 88 retains its prime during interruptions in the operation.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for continuously and simultaneously applying a cleaning liquid to a carpet, effecting cleaning action by the liquid upon the carpet, and removing cleaning liquid carrying carpet soil from the carpet comprising:

a generally rectangular housing presenting a downwardly open face to the carpet to be cleaned, said housing having means for translating it across said carpet in a direction parallel to its sides, and transverse to its ends;

partition means within said housing extending across its direction of translation dividing the interior of the housing into a first compartment for cleaning liquid application and a second compartment for cleaning liquid removal, the lower edge of said partition means being spaced above the carpet surface to establish a zone of turbulent air movement and vigorous liquid cleaning action adjacent said lower edge;

the surface of said partition means facing said first compartment defining an angle with the carpet between about 40 and about 50;

means for admitting air into said first compartment;

means in said first compartment for directing a spray of cleaning liquid against the carpet, said spray directing means being mounted to project cleaning liquid toward said carpet in a direction generally parallel to the surface of said partition means;

a vane in said first compartment mounted at an angle to the carpet between about 40 and about 50, and positioned to be spaced from, but between, the path of projected cleaning liquid established by said spray direction means, and the surface of said partition means facing said first compartment;

and means for connecting said second compartment to a source of vacuum.

Claims

1. Apparatus for continuously and simultaneously applying a cleaning liquid to a carpet, effecting cleaning action by the liquid upon the carpet, and removing cleaning liquid carrying carpet soil from the carpet comprising: a generally rectangular housing presenting a downwardly open face to the carpet to be cleaned, said housing having means for translating it across said carpet in a direction parallel to its sides, and transverse to its ends; partition means within said housing extending across its direction of translation dividing the interior of the housing into a first compartment for cleaning liquid application and a second compartment for cleaning liquid removal, the lower edge of said partition means being spaced above the carpet surface to establish a zone of turbulent air movement and vigorous liquid cleaning action adjacent said lower edge; the surface of said partition means facing said first compartment defining an angle with the carpet between about 40* and about 50*; means for admitting air into said first compartment; means in said first compartment for directing a spray of cleaning liquid against the carpet, said spray directing means being mounted to project cleaning liquid toward said carpet in a direction generally parallel to the surface of said partition means; a vane in said first compartment mounted at an angle to the carpeT between about 40* and about 50*, and positioned to be spaced from, but between, the path of projected cleaning liquid established by said spray direction means, and the surface of said partition means facing said first compartment; and means for connecting said second compartment to a source of vacuum.