The present invention is directed to floor surface maintenance systems, and especially to the maintenance of carpeted areas by using such maintenance systems.
In general, proper carpet maintenance involves regular vacuuming and periodic cleaning to remove soil by methods such as hot water extraction, shampooing, bonnet cleaning, foam cleaning, etc. Some of the soil is loosely found between carpet fibers while other soil is held upon the carpet fibers by some means such as electrostatic forces, van der Waals forces, or oil bonding. Still other soil is mechanically trapped by carpet fibers. Regular vacuuming is essential as it removes some of the loose soil that damages the fibers. Vacuuming maintains the surface appearance of a carpet and keeps the level of soil in the pile at an acceptable level. Vacuuming removes only particulate soil and some unbound or loosely bound surface dirt; therefore, other methods of cleaning are periodically required to improve the appearance of the carpet. Wet cleaning methods are better for removing oils, greases, bound dirt, and other forms of matter that cause soiling on carpet. These methods are often used by professional cleaners and trained personnel.
One type of surface maintenance machine intended for carpet cleaning is referred to as an “extractor machine.” Extractor machines are commonly used for deep carpet cleaning. In general, an extractor is a transportable self-contained device which (i) sprays cleaning liquid directly onto the carpet to create a wetted carpet portion, (ii) agitates the wetted portion with a brush, and (iii) removes some of the cleaning liquid and soil in the carpet through a vacuum system. Generally, in the extraction process a relatively large quantity of cleaning liquid is applied on the carpet. While the vacuum system recovers a portion of the applied cleaning liquid, a significant portion is retained by the carpet. As a consequence, carpet drying times are substantially longer than in other cleaning processes, such as a bonnet cleaning process.
Excessive carpet wetting may promote the growth of fungus and/or bacteria within the carpet. Additionally, carpet overwetting may cause surface stains to appear or reappear as underlying soil or stains migrate from the bottom of the carpet to its surface. Extractors are generally limited to a single operational direction as the steps of wetting, agitation, and vacuuming are sequentially performed. As a result, extractor machines may be difficult to maneuver in some environments, i.e., complex floor layouts. Another common problem with known extractors includes soiled solution suspended in the extractor head. Upon deactivation of the vacuum, the suspended soiled solution in the extractor head drops out of the head and may stain or leave an excessively wet mark. Yet another problem with extractors is that the vacuum pressures are not evenly distributed along the width of the nozzle, resulting in uneven soiled solution extraction.
Another problem associated with extractors is that the extractor pick-up nozzle must generally have a high profile in order to provide a sufficiently uniform vacuum across its width. This geometry makes the system somewhat unwieldy and difficult to use in small or tight spaces.
There is a need, therefore, for a extractor head that overcomes these problems and can efficiently and effectively remove soiled solution from carpeted areas.
The present invention is directed to an extractor head finding particular use with known carpet extractor machines. The extractor head includes a low-profile pick-up head. The pick-up head includes an enclosed area, a pick-up nozzle in fluid communication with the enclosed area, and an outlet orifice located on the enclosed area and spaced away from the pick-up nozzle. A vacuum source is positioned in fluid communication with the outlet orifice, and is capable of applying a partial vacuum in the enclosed area and the pick-up nozzle so that when the pick-up head is in contact with a carpet fluid is removed from the carpet.
The present invention is also directed to a push-pull extractor head for use with known carpet extractors. The push-pull pick-up head includes a first enclosed area, an exhaust nozzle in fluid communication with the first enclosed area; and an inlet orifice located on the first enclosed area and spaced away from the exhaust nozzle. The pick-up head also includes a second enclosed area positioned proximate to the first enclosed area; a pick-up nozzle in fluid communication with the second enclosed area; and an outlet orifice located on the second enclosed area and spaced away from the pick-up nozzle.
In one embodiment of the push-pull extractor head, a blower is positioned to be in fluid communication with the inlet orifice of the first enclosed area and a vacuum source is positioned to be in fluid communication with the outlet orifice of the second enclosed area. The blower is capable of pressurizing the first enclosed area and the exhaust nozzle and the vacuum source is capable of providing a partial vacuum in the second enclosed area and the pick-up nozzle when the pick-up head is in contact with a carpet or other surface.
The present invention also includes methods for extracting cleaning solution from carpets or other surfaces using extractors or dryers equipped with pick-up heads as described above.
Vacuum chamber 12 preferably and optionally includes a sloping bottom surface 13 which preferably slopes so that fluid flows toward outlet orifice 18, even when the vacuum source has been turned off.
Nozzle 14 includes a pick-up slot 15 and a upper end 16. Upper end 16 is preferably positioned within vacuum chamber 12 so that end 16 is located above bottom surface 13. As shown in
Outlet orifice 18 is preferably positioned near bottom surface 13, and can be located anywhere along the width of head 10.
In one preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional area of vacuum chamber 12 taken at a specific location along the vacuum chamber is at least two times the slot surface area at that location. The slot surface area is defined as the open area of the slot in contact with the surface being cleaned, taken from the nearest outer edge 19 of pick-up head 10 to a specified location, such as lines B–B′, C–C′ or D–D′ in
By utilizing vacuum chamber 12 to distribute the vacuum pressure substantially uniformly along the width of pick-up head 10, thereby improving the vacuum pick-up efficiency of pick-up head 10, it is possible to make head 10 wider without the need to make it substantially taller (or “high-profile”) as in other systems. Conventional high-profile pick-up heads generally have vortices which suspend a volume of soiled solution. Upon deactivation of the vacuum, the suspended soiled solution drops onto the carpet, reducing the efficiency of the extraction process. The low-profile pick-up head 10 of the present invention, because of its lower overall profile and vacuum chamber design, does not entrap as much soiled solution as in standard high-profile systems, and thereby reduces or eliminates soiled solution flowing back onto the carpet when the vacuum is deactivated. The low-profile head may also be useful for drying carpets in hard to reach areas that cannot be readily accessed by taller high-profile pick-up heads.
Referring to
Nozzles 22 and 24 are separated by a septum or wall 28. Edge 29 of septum 28 can be flush with nozzle ends 23 and 25, but preferably extends beyond slots 23 and 25. If edge 29 extends slightly beyond slots 23 and 25, the performance of pick-up head 20 is improved compared to a flush alignment. Preferably, septum edge 29 extends by between about 0 to about 0.05 inches beyond slots 23 and 25, and more preferably edge 29 extends by about 0.03 inches beyond slots 23 and 25.
Exhaust nozzle 22 is in fluid communication with positive pressure chamber 30 (or the “push” chamber). Pressure chamber 30 has an inlet orifice 32, which connects chamber 30 to a blower or vacuum fan outlet (not shown). Air is forced into chamber 30 and out onto the carpet through exit slot 23. Pressurized air leaving exit slot 23 facilitates removal of soiled solution from the carpet by pneumatically forcing some of the soiled solution toward pick up slot 25. Through this process, more cleaning solution can be removed from the surface, and the carpet drying time is shortened.
Pick-up nozzle 24 extracts the cleaning solution by applying a vacuum to the carpet. Nozzle 24 is connected to vacuum chamber 34 (or the “pull” chamber) having an outlet orifice 36 to which a vacuum source (not shown) is connected. Vacuum chamber 34 has a bottom surface 35 which preferably slopes towards outlet orifice 36 to facilitate cleaning solution removal from head 20. Pick-up nozzle 24, vacuum chamber 34, and outlet orifice 36 are configured similar to the embodiment shown in
In the direction of motion across a carpet or other surface, as indicated by the arrow in
Although
The recovery rate of the low-profile push-pull pick-up head of the present invention was compared to a standard, high-profile pick-up head on a Power Eagle extractor, Model Number 1016, manufactured by Tennant Company. The recovery rate was defined as a ratio, expressed as a percentage of the amount of solution extracted from the surface to the amount of solution applied to the surface. A higher recovery rate results in a drier carpet since less water remains in the carpet after using the extractor.
The extractor was used on a test table carpeted with level loop carpeting at two different speeds, measured in inches per second, with each type of pick-up head. The extractor was also tested on an actual office floor carpeted with a different level loop carpeting at a higher speed. A measured volume of water was poured onto each test surface, the extractor was used on the surface, and the volume of water removed by the extractor was compared to the initial volume of water applied to the surface. The average results are shown in the following table:
As seen in these results, the low-profile push-pull pick-up head has an improved recovery rate in comparison to the standard pick-up head.
The foregoing is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the invention in any way. The present invention encompasses numerous modifications and variations of the embodiments described herein that will be apparent to those of skill in the art The present invention is clearly and specifically defined by the following claims.
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