Abstract:
A portable rotary brush cleaning device for cleaning the inside of a bathtub or other household surfaces, comprising a machine body, a brush handle having two ends, and a motor-driven brush. The brush handle is attached to the machine body at one of its ends and to the brush at its other end. The machine body houses a water tank, a cleaning solution tank, a water pump, and a cleaning solution pump. The pumps supply water and cleaning solution to the brush via hoses that run along the length of the brush handle. A user first wets the brush by activating buttons which control the pumps. The user then activates the motor which causes the brush to rotate upon the brush handle. The user alternates between wetting the brush and rotating the brush on the surface to be cleaned, until the surface has been sufficiently cleaned.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a portable rotary brush cleaning device which may be used to clean the inside of a bathtub, or floors, or other household surfaces. The device has a machine body, a brush handle which is attachable to the machine body, and a variety of brushes which are selectively attachable to the brush handle. The machine body houses tanks which separately contain cleaning solution and water, pumps for pumping these liquids to the brushes, and hoses which connect the tanks to the pumps. These hoses ultimately lead to the brush and wet the brush bristles, thereby increasing the efficiency of cleaning. A motor in the brush handle selectively rotates the brush. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   A variety of surfaces located in the home require periodic cleaning by a homeowner. Some of these surfaces are relatively inaccessible and may only be reached by bending and consequently, a homeowner may hurt his/her back while attempting to reach these surfaces. 
   Various devices have been created which may be used to clean different surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,496 to Taylor appears to show a cleaning device comprised of a wheeled trolley with a motor driven pump to supply fluid to a rotary brush. U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,281 to Smith appears to show a turbine driven fluid powered rotary brush cleaner. U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,298 to Canaan appears to show a cleaning nozzle for a vacuum with means to feed a liquid detergent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,969 to Beryozkin appears to show a device for washing and cleaning a vehicle and is provided for general interest in the art. 
   While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which has a brush which is capable of rotating intermittently, according to the needs of the user. Accordingly, this device has a brush which is attachable to a brush motor which is located in the brush handle, and thereby provides the user with a choice of brush speeds to be used for different surfaces. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which may be easily moved between various locations within the home. Accordingly, the device is equipped with two side wheels on its bottom surface, so that it may be rolled between locations without the necessity of lifting the device. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which is relatively inexpensive and whose cost is not prohibitive. Accordingly, the functional components of this device, including a motor which rotates the brush and pumps which furnish the brush with water and cleaning solution, are not complex and do not make the cost of this device unduly expensive. 
   It is yet another object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which is relatively lightweight and which can therefore be easily carried between different locations. Accordingly, this device is equipped with a handle on its upper surface, by which the device may be easily carried. Furthermore, this device is comprised of components which are not unduly heavy, and the device may be easily carried by most homeowners. Additionally, the brush handle and the tanks which hold the cleaning solution may be removed from the body of the machine before attempting to lift the device. Moreover, the water tank may be drained. These features therefore contribute to enhanced portability of the device. 
   It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which may be outfitted with a variety of different brushes, depending on the type of surface which is to be cleaned. Accordingly, the brushes are removable from the brush handle head to allow selective attachment of a pad brush, a sponge brush, and a bristled brush. 
   It is yet a still further object of the invention to provide a cleaning device which has buttons and switches which provide a user with the capability of selectively wetting the brush with cleaning solution and with water. Accordingly, this device is equipped with switches on the machine housing and with buttons on the brush handle, which selectively power the pumps which pump liquids to the brush, and thereby furnish liquid to the brush. 
   The invention is a portable rotary brush cleaning device for cleaning the inside of a bathtub or other household surfaces, comprising a machine body, a brush handle having two ends, and a brush. The brush handle is attached to the machine body at one of its ends and to the brush at its other end. The end of the brush handle which is attached to the brush contains a motor which selectively rotates the brush. The machine body houses a water tank, a cleaning solution tank, a water pump, a cleaning solution pump, and hoses which connect the tanks to the pump and the pumps to the brush. The pumps supply water and cleaning solution to the brush via hoses that run along the length of the brush handle. The machine body has switches which enable the pumps and the motor. Similarly, the brush handle has buttons which allow the user to control the pumps and the motor. The user first turns on the pump buttons in order to wet the brush. The user then activates the motor, and thereby causes the brush to rotate. The user alternates between wetting the brush and rotating the brush on the surface to be cleaned, until the surface has been sufficiently cleaned. 
   To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the body of the device and the associated brush handle. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the device without the brush handle and the hoses. The water tank cap has been removed from the machine housing by rotation in the direction of the arrow. The cap for the solution tank bottom has been removed from the solution tank bottom by rotation in the direction of the arrow. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a variety of brushes which may be selectively attached to the brush handle head. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the brush handle and one of the brushes, with parts broken away at the brush handle head to illustrate internal details thereof. 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the brush handle after the brush has been attached. Arrows indicate the direction of motion of the brush with respect to the brush handle. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the body of the device and the associated brush handle, with a portion of the machine housing removed to show the locations and interconnections of the water pump, the solution pump, and the hoses which lead from the pumps to the brush. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram which illustrates the interconnection between various components of the device. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  illustrates the portable rotary brush cleaning device  10 , which is comprised of a machine body  20  having a bottom portion  20 B, a machine housing  22 , and two side wheels  32  located near the bottom portion  20 B of the machine body  20 . The cleaning device  10  further has a brush handle  72 , a brush  70 , and brush handle hoses  54 H which extend along the brush handle  72  from the machine body  20  to the brush  70 . Integral components of the machine body  20  are enclosed by the machine housing  22 . The device has an electrical cord  60  having a plug  60 P, and a water tank drain  48  which enter the machine body  20  through openings on the machine housing  22 . A pair of cleaning solution tanks  50  are mounted external to the housing  22 . 
   Turning momentarily to  FIG. 6 , which is a perspective view of the device  10  with a portion of the machine housing  22  cut away in order that the components of the machine body  20  may be more easily seen, the machine body  20  is seen to comprise a water tank  44 , a cleaning solution pump  36  and a water pump  34 . The machine body  20  also contains a pair of cleaning solution tank hoses  54 CT and a water tank hose  54 WT. The cleaning solution pump  36  has an inlet valve  36 I and an outlet valve  36 OU. Similarly, the water pump  34  has an inlet valve  34 I and an outlet valve  34 OU. The water tank hose  54 WT connects the water pump inlet valve  34 I to the water tank  44 . The cleaning solution tank hoses  54 CT connect the cleaning solution pump inlet valves  36 I to the cleaning solution tanks  50 . The water pump outlet valve  34 OU is connected to one of the two brush handle hoses  54 H. Similarly, the cleaning solution pump outlet valve  36 OU is connected to the other brush handle hose  54 H. 
     FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the machine body  20  after the brush handle  72  and the brush handle hoses  54 H have been detached. The machine housing  22  has two hose outlets  38  and a brush handle socket  52 . As seen, the machine body  20  contains two cleaning solution tank compartments  54 , each of which may hold one of the cleaning solution tanks  50 . One of the cleaning solution tanks  50  is shown detached to allow an unobstructed view of the cleaning solution tank compartment  54 . The machine body  20  is also seen to comprise a water tank  44 . The water tank  44  has a water tank top  44 T and a water tank bottom  44 B, defining a water tank interior therebetween. A fill cap  30  is selectively attached to the water tank top  44 T. The cap  30  is removed as seen in  FIG. 2  to allow the water tank  44  to be filled with water. The water tank drain  48  is attached to the water tank bottom  44 B. The machine housing  22  has attached straps  46  for holding the cleaning solution tanks  50  securely within the cleaning solution tank compartments  54 . 
   In  FIG. 2 , one of the cleaning solution tanks  50  has been removed from the cleaning solution tank compartment  54 , in order to illustrate the components of the tank. The cleaning solution tank  50  has a tank top  50 T and a tank bottom  50 B, each of which may be removed from the cleaning solution tank  50  by rotation.  FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of the cap  50 C for the cleaning solution tank bottom  50 B after it has been removed from the cleaning solution tank bottom  50 B by rotation along the line of the arrow. 
     FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the fill cap  30  which covers the water tank top  44 T after it has been removed from the machine housing  22  by rotation along the lines of the arrow. 
   Turning momentarily to  FIG. 4 , the brush handle  72  has two ends. The brush handle head  72 H is located at one end of the brush handle  72  and a brush handle nozzle  72 N is located at the other end. A brush motor  78  is located within the brush handle head  72 H which causes the brush  70  to rotate. The brush handle head  72 H has an electrical cord  62  within which supplies electricity to the motor  78 . The brush handle head  72 H also contains a shaft  80  which is attached to and is rotated by the motor  78 , and also a socket  82  which is attached to the shaft  80 . The brush  70  has a brush coupler  90  which attaches the brush  70  to the socket  82 . Rotation of the shaft  80  by the motor  78  thereby causes the brush  70  to rotate. The other end of the brush handle  72  is the brush handle nozzle  72 N which connects the brush handle  72  to the machine body  20 . The two brush handle hoses  54 H run fully along the brush handle  72 . The brush handle hoses  54 H supply water and cleaning solution to the brush  70  which is selectively attachable to the brush handle head  72 H. The brush handle hoses  54 H enter the machine body  20  through the machine housing  22 . After entering the machine body  20 , the brush handle hoses  54 H connect to the water pump outlet valve  34 OU and the cleaning solution pump outlet valve  36 OU. 
   As seen in  FIG. 4 , the brush  70  has a brush front  70 F and a brush back  70 B. The brush  70  also has through channels  92  which connect the brush back  70 B to the brush front  70 F. These through channels  92  communicate liquids to the brush front  70 F which are dispensed onto the brush back  70 B after being pumped through the brush handle hoses  54 H. The brush handle  72  also has handle buttons  76  located on its side. 
     FIG. 2  indicates that the machine housing  22  has an on-off switch  24  located on its surface  22 S which selectively allows the device to be powered. The machine housing  22  also has housing switches  26  located on its surface  22 S, including a housing water switch  26 A, a housing solution switch  26 B, and a housing rotation switch  26 C which allow a user to selectively enable the water pump  34  and the cleaning solution pump  36 , and also the motor  78  which is located in the brush handle head  72 H, respectively. The handle buttons  76  include a handle water button  76 A, a handle solution button  76 B, and a handle rotation button  76 C, which allow the user to selectively activate the water pump  34 , the cleaning solution pump  36 , and the motor  78 , respectively, when the on/off switch  24  is previously turned “on” and the corresponding housing switches  26  on the machine housing  22  are previously enabled. The buttons  76 A,  76 B, and  76 C may be two position switches. In particular, the handle water button  76 A can control the water pump  34  to selectively allow a “sprinkle” of water to be released, or a more intense spray. Further, the motor  78  can be controlled by the handle rotation button  76 C to allow gentle or faster, more intense scrubbing. 
   Turning again momentarily to  FIG. 6 , the entire path of the water and cleaning solution from the water pump  34  and the cleaning solution pump  36 , respectively, to the brush  70  can be seen. The water tank hose  54 WT which leads from the water tank  44  to the water pump  34 , and the cleaning solution tank hoses  54 CT, which lead from the cleaning solution tanks  50  to the cleaning solution pump  36 , may be seen. Similarly, the two brush handle hoses  54 H which lead from the pumps to the brush  70  are visible. The machine housing  22  has two hose outlets  38  extending through it. The two brush handle hoses  54 H exit the machine body  20  through the hose outlets  38 , before running longitudinally along the length of the brush handle  72 . The brush handle  72  has a number of hose clamps  74  periodically situated along its length which securely attach the two brush handle hoses  54 H to the brush handle  72 . Water and cleaning solution are pumped through the brush handle hoses  54 H. These liquids are released from the brush handle hoses  54 H onto the brush back  70 B. The through channels  92  communicate these liquids through the brush  70  and cause the brush front  70 F to be wetted with a mixture of cleaning solution and water, thereby increasing the efficiency of cleaning by the device. 
     FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a variety of brushes  70  which may be selectively attached to the brush handle head  72 H. Four different brushes  70  are shown. Two brushes  70  are illustrated which have bristles  84  located on the brush front  70 F. These two brushes  70  each have different densities and different bristle qualities. Additionally, a brush  70  which has a sponge  86  located on the brush front  70 F is illustrated. Finally, a brush  70  which has scouring material  88  located on the brush front  70 F is illustrated. 
     FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the brush handle  72  after the brush  70  has been attached. Arrows indicate the direction of motion of the brush  70  with respect to the brush handle  72  after the user has activated the motor  78  which is located within the brush handle head  72 H. 
     FIG. 7  is a block diagram for the cleaning device  10 . The power cord  60  leading into the machine body  20  supplies electricity to the device  10 . There are three levels of control for the water pump  34 , the cleaning solution pump  36 , and the motor  78  located in the brush handle head  72 H. In particular, before any of these components can be operated, the on/off switch  24  must be in the “on” position. Additionally, the appropriate housing switch  26 A,  26 B, or  26 C must be enabled by the user, and then the appropriate brush handle button  76 A,  76 B, and  76 C, must be pressed by the user. Thus, for example, for the water pump  34  to be turned “on”, the on/off switch  24  must be in the “on” position, the housing switch  26  for the water pump  34  must be “on”, and the brush handle button  76  for the water pump  34  must be pressed by the user so that it is in the “on” position. When the water pump  34  is turned on, water is pumped from the water tank  44  through the tank hose  54 T, through the water pump  34 , and through the brush handle hose  54 H, and finally to the brush back  70 B, where the through channels  92  extending from the brush back  70 B to the brush front  70 F are located. 
   In use, a user positions the device  10  on a flat surface adjacent to the area to be cleaned. The user determines which of the available brushes  70  to attach to the brush handle head  72 H and attaches that brush  70  to the brush handle head  72 H by pushing the brush coupler  90  into the socket  82  which is located in the brush handle head  72 H. The user ensures that the cleaning solution tanks  50  are strapped securely into their compartments  54  and that they contain cleaning solution. The user fills the water tank  44  by removing the fill cap  30  which is located near the water tank top  44 T, and then by pouring water into the water tank  44 . Once the water tank  44  has been filled, the fill cap  30  is threaded back on the water tank top  44 T. The electrical cord  60  leading into the machine body  20  is plugged into an outlet. The user then turns on the on/off switch  24  which is located on the machine housing  22 . The user then wets the brush  70  with both cleaning solution and water by turning on the corresponding housing switches  26  and handle buttons  76 . When the brush  70  has been sufficiently wetted, the user turns off the handle buttons  76  for the water pump  34  and the solution pump  36 . The user then presses the handle button  76  which turns on the motor  78  which is located in the brush handle head  72 H. The user thereby alternates between turning on the pumps which furnish liquid to the brush and turning on the motor  78  located in the brush handle head  72 H. The motor  78  may only be turned “on” when the pumps are in the “off” position, and vice verse. After the surface has been sufficiently cleaned, the user turns “off” the on/off switch  24  which is located on the machine housing  22 . The user then removes the plug  60 P which is attached to the power cord  60  from the electrical outlet. If prolonged storage is contemplated, the user may drain the water tank  44  by opening the water tank drain  48 . The device  10  may then be stored until it is again needed. 
   In conclusion, herein is presented a portable rotary brush cleaning device. The invention is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present invention.