Patent Grant
7269879
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solution distribution arrangement for a portable cleaning machine.
2. Background Information
It is known to have floor cleaning units that have a liquid distribution system for dispensing detergent to wash the floor and/or clean water to rinse the floor. Often when washing the floor, detergent from one supply tank is automatically mixed with clean water and then the mixed cleaning solution is distributed on the floor. It is desirable to maintain a constant mix ratio between the detergent and clean water, especially in a gravity flow system for its low cost benefits. However, as the level of the water and detergent lowers during the application of cleaning solution in a gravity flow system, the flow rates out of the tanks will decline and at disproportional rates from each other due to the different tank volumes. This is due to the different hydrostatic heads caused by the different levels of water and detergent in their respective tanks. These variable flow rates produces a variable mixing ratio. One solution is to pump the fluids from their respective tanks at a pressure that is much higher than the hydrostatic head, thus making the effect of the liquid level on flow rate insignificant. However, the pump is an added cost, consumes power, and is subject to failure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning machine with clean water and detergent containers having a low cost and reliable automatic mixing system in which the mixing ratio of clean water and detergent is constant irrespective of the levels of clean water and detergent in their respective containers.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description and the attached drawings. In one aspect of the invention, a portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface in which cleaning solution is dispensed to the surface and substantially simultaneously extracted along with the dirt on the surface in a continuous operation is provided. The portable cleaning apparatus includes a housing and a distributor operatively connected to the housing for distributing cleaning solution to the surface. A first solution container is removably mounted to the housing and fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of cleaning solution to the distributor. A recovery tank is removably mounted to the housing and a suction nozzle is secured to the housing and in fluid communication with the recovery tank for transporting the cleaning solution and dirt from the surface into the recovery tank. A suction source is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and recovery tank for drawing the cleaning solution and dirt from the surface through the suction nozzle and to the recovery tank. A second solution container is provided inside the first solution container for supplying a flow of cleaning solution to the distributor.
In another aspect of the invention, a portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface is provided and includes a housing. A distributor is operatively connected to the housing for distributing solution to the surface. A first solution container is mounted to the housing and contains a first solution. The first solution container has a bottom portion with an outlet portion fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of a first solution to the distributor. A second solution container is provided in the first solution container and contains a second solution. The second solution container has an outlet fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of a second solution to the distributor. The second solution container is design and constructed, to transfer the weight of the first solution above the second solution container to the second solution in the second solution container to produce substantially the same hydrostatic head at both the outlet of the first solution container and the outlet of the second solution container.
In still another aspect of the invention, a portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface is provided and includes a housing. A distributor is operatively connected to the housing for distributing solution onto the surface. A first solution container having a bottom portion is mounted to the housing and fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of a first solution to the distributor. A second solution container is provided inside the first solution container for supplying a second solution to the distributor. The second solution container having a bottom portion, wherein the bottom portion of the second solution container having a fill opening for filling the second solution container with solution.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the attached drawings, of which:
Referring to the drawings,
As depicted in
The supply tank assembly 76 comprises a clean water supply tank 620 and a smaller detergent supply container 622 provided in the clean water supply tank 620 as depicted in
Referring to
The mounting member 211 has a neck 221 extending upwardly therefrom over which a bottom neck 223 of the bladder 622 fits tightly around it and is adhesively secured. An elastic band or clamp 225 fits snugly around the neck 223 of a bladder for additional securement. The neck 221 surrounds a solution release valve 746 provided in the mounting member and a fill opening 227 formed in the mounting member 211 for filling the detergent container 622 with liquid detergent. A threaded cap 231 is removably secured to the fill opening 227. Alternatively, the neck 221 can be integrally formed with the bottom wall 713 of the clean water tank 620 with the outlet opening 545 and fill opening 227 being formed in the bottom wall 713 to eliminate the mounting member 211.
The solution release valve 746 is normally in the closed position. However, when the tank assembly 76 is positioned in the handle 62, the solution release valves 746 in the clean water tank 620 and detergent container 622 open permitting clean water from the clean water supply tank 620 and detergent from the detergent supply container 622 to flow to mixing Tee 796. Upon removal of the tank assembly 76 from the handle 62, the solution release valves 746 close prohibiting liquid from flowing out of the clean water tank 620 and detergent container 622.
As seen in
A valve body 742 having a vertically extending bore 756 (FIG. 27 from co pending application having Ser. No. 10/165,731 and publication no. 20030226230) slidingly receives therein the upper shank portion of the plunger 744. An elastomeric circumferential seal 748 circumscribes plunger 744 for sealingly engaging valve body 742. The seal 748 is urged against the valve body 742 by action of the compression spring 752, circumscribing plunger 744. The spring 752 is positioned between the body 742 and the seal 748. The solution release valve 746 is normally in the closed position. However, as the supply tank assembly 76 is placed upon the support shelf 743 of the handle 62, the pin 738 of the reservoir 721 (FIG. 27 from copending application having Ser. No. 10/165,731 and publication no. 20030226230) aligns with plunger 744, thereby forcing plunger 744 upward to separate the seal 748 from the valve body 742, compressing spring 752, and opening the valve body 742 permitting detergent from the detergent supply container 622 to flow through bore 756 of the valve body 742 into the reservoir 721. Upon removal of supply tank assembly 76 from the support shelf 743, the energy stored within compression spring 752 urges the seal 748 down against the valve body 742 to close the valve 746.
An elastomeric tank seal 500 has an annular groove 501 that receives the edge 503 of the opening 545 of the mounting member 211 to secure it to the edge 503. For the solution release valve 746 of the clean water tank 620, the tank seal 500 has the annular groove 501 receiving the edge 571 of the outlet opening 541 of the bottom wall 713 as seen in
In operation, the detergent container 622 is filled with liquid detergent and the clean water tank 620 is filled with the clean water above the height of the detergent. In this arrangement, the weight of the water above the detergent container or bladder is transferred through the bladder wail 623 to the liquid detergent. The bladder wall 623 is designed to be flexible enough to collapse and allow this weight transfer. The equal weight produces approximately the same hydrostatic head at both the outlet 541 for the water and outlet 545 for the liquid detergent. Also, as water level drops due to the clean water flowing out of the clean water tank 620, the pressures at each of the outlets changes by the same amount as long as the water level is above the detergent container 622. This constant pressure ratio in turn causes the flow rates to change at generally the same amount and thus substantially reduces the variation of the detergent to water mixing ratio in mixing Tee 796.
With continue reference to
The pressure actuated shut off valve 804 is fluidly connected between the clean water tank 620 and the mixing Tee 796 for turning off and on the flow of water. This shut off valve 804 is opened and closed by outside pressure via a conduit 806 connected between it and the outlet 807 of a pump 808 through a Tee 817. The valve 804 includes a pressure port 822 fluidly connected to the outlet 807 of a pump 808. The outlet of the valve 814 is fluidly connected to an inlet 521 of the mixing Tee 796 via hose 815. It should be known that clean water tank 620 could be fluidly connect to the outlet 814 of the valve 804 with the inlet 812 of the valve 804 being fluidly connect to the mixing Tee 796 so that fluid could flow the opposite direction if desired.
In operation, when the pressure at the pressure port 822 is below a predetermined value such as between 7 to 10 psi, the valve 804 opens to allow water to flow in both directions. Such a pressure value at the pressure port 822 occurs when the main shut off valve 820 is opened and the pump 808 is turned on. The pump 808 also pressurizes the water mixed with detergent to draw it to the distributor 792. When the pressure exceeds a second predetermined value such as between 20 to 30 psi, the valve 804 closes. This would occur if the main shut off valve 820 is closed and the pump is turned on. Thus, with the valve 804 closed, the cleaning solution is prevented from flowing through it. Various types of pumps can be used such as a piston pump, gear pump or centrifugal pump.
Outlet 525 of the mixing Tee 796 is fluidly connected via flexible hose 823 to the inlet of the pump 808, which provides pressure to draw the cleaning solution to the distributor 792, when it is turned on. A relief valve 809 is fluidly connected across the pump 808 to limit the pressure at the outlet 807 of the pump 808 to a predetermine value. The outlet 807 of the pump 808 is fluidly connected to the main shut off valve 820 via flexible hoses 825, 874 and 876.
The valves 800, 820 are operated by a trigger switch 821 as depicted in
As is commonly known, a user turns on the carpet extractor 60 and pivots the handle 62 in an incline position while moving the carpet extractor 60 over the surface to clean it. The user squeezes the trigger switch 821 so that the carpet extractor 60 distributes the cleaning solution to the surface and substantially simultaneously extracts it along with the dirt on surface in a continuous operation. In particular, soiled cleaning solution is extracted from the surface by the suction nozzle 124 and transported into the recovery tank 80 where the liquid and air are separated. A vacuum is created in the recovery tank 80 by the suction motor, which draws air from the recovery tank 80 and exhausts the air to the surface 74. Further details of the carpet extractor are disclosed in co pending application having Ser. No. 10/165,731 and publication no. 20030226230; the disclosure being incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention has been described by way of example using the illustrated embodiments. Upon reviewing the detailed description and the appended drawings, various modifications and variations of the embodiments will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. All such obvious modifications and variations are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention and of the claims appended hereto. For example, the mixed detergent and clean water cleaning solution can flow from the clean water tank and detergent container by gravity alone, without the use of the pump, to the distributor.
In view of the above, it is intended that the present invention not be limited by the preceding disclosure of the embodiments, but rather be limited only by the appended claims.
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|---|---|---|---|
| 4464810 | Karpanty | Aug 1984 | A |
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| 6880199 | Huffman et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050132523 A1 | Jun 2005 | US |
