Lanny Porter - Bethlehem GA, US Ernest Hagen - Covington GA, US
International Classification:
A47L005/26
US Classification:
015/385000, 015/321000
Abstract:
A tool for cleaning hard, nonabsorbent surfaces, of various compositions, such as concrete, ceramic tile, or the like, and of varying degrees of roughness or smoothness. The tool includes a movable platform with an outer housing and a structure which defines an interior cavity, the structure being spaced apart from the housing and nested beneath it. A liquid used in the cleaning operation is fed into the cavity through two nozzles located on the ends of a tube. Disposed horizontally, the tube is rigidly attached, in its midsection, to a hollow shaft which is supported vertically by a rotatable bearing/seal component. The latter allows a stationary liquid supply hose to deliver liquid at high pressure, via the hollow shaft, to the tube. The nozzles are positioned so that their flow streams discharge downwardly at a slight angle to the vertical. So discharged, the flow stream imparts a tangential force to the tube causing it to rotate. The rotation of the tube causes the fluid to be applied in a pulse-like sequence, enhancing cleaning action and greatly reducing the rate at which cleaning fluid is consumed. The space between the outer housing and the structure is supplied with a vacuum which sucks up sprayed liquid and any loose dirt, transporting the mixture to a portable storage tank. After the platform passes over a work surface, very little liquid is left thereon, making the tool suitable for indoor cleaning. A filter is provided so that dirt in the cleaning fluid itself can be removed, and the fluid reused.