Carpet cleaning apparatus with auxiliary cleaning device arrangement

A carpet cleaning apparatus is disclosed which includes a new and improved auxiliary cleaning device arrangement incorporated in a conventional vacuum cleaner. The auxiliary cleaning device is movable into a carpet engaging position for frictionally engaging a carpet surface and simultaneously distributing cleaning material thereon which emulsify, rub, and thereby cause release of dirt, dust and other foreign particles from carpet fibers and allow their removal and collection by agitator and suction cleaning elements of the apparatus. A retraction means is provided for automatically retracting the auxiliary cleaning device in response to handle assembly movement to a storage position, and a retaining means is provided to lock the device in the retracted position. The retaining means selectively either permits movement of the device to a carpet engaging position or maintains the device in a retracted position independently of subsequent handle assembly movement. In one arrangement utilizing a liquid fed auxiliary cleaning device, a liquid shut-off means is disclosed for automatically terminating liquid flow to the device in response to movement of the handle assembly to a substantially vertical or storage position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to carpet cleaning apparatus and 
more particularly, to improvements in carpet cleaning apparatus which 
combine conventional agitation and suction cleaning with an additional 
cleaning means. 
It is known that conventional vacuum cleaners do not remove all dirt and 
dust particles from a carpet. Although agitation combined with suction 
increases dirt removal, there are dirt and dust particles that adhere to 
carpet fibers and remain following conventional vacuum cleaning. Thus, 
remaining particles contribute to a deterioration in carpet appearance 
over an extended period of time. Of course, apparatus are known such as, 
for example, carpet shampooers and hot water extractors, which may be 
utilized to remove these remaining foreign particles. However, frequent 
use of such apparatus can be time consuming and also expensive if the 
cleaning is performed by professional carpet cleaners. As a result, such 
additional carpet cleaning may not be performed as frequently as is 
preferred and thus, carpet appearance tends to deteriorate appreciably 
between such thorough cleanings. 
It is also known that carpet appearance can be improved by applying only a 
small amount of liquid or wet cleaning material or by applying a dry 
cleaning compound or particles to the carpet. Such materials tend to 
release foreign particles adhering to carpet fibers so that they can be 
removed by conventional vacuuming. These carpet cleaning techniques are 
often desirable since the carpet is not wetted at all or only wetted to an 
insignificant degree so as to avoid long drying times often associated 
with the more extensive carpet cleaning methods such as shampooing and 
water extraction. Although they are not intended to replace the more 
extensive carpet cleaning methods, such techniques do improve carpet 
surface appearance between more thorough cleanings and may reduce the 
needed frequency of such thorough cleanings. 
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop an improved carpet cleaning 
apparatus having an auxiliary cleaning device for improving carpet surface 
appearance. An apparatus which would provide an improved means of mounting 
and controlling such an auxiliary cleaning device. Such an apparatus which 
would also provide an improved operating interrelationship with a 
conventional vacuum cleaner so as to make its use convenient and effective 
would be highly desirable and is in fact provided by the present 
invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide a new 
and improved carpet cleaning apparatus having an auxiliary cleaning 
device. 
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved carpet cleaning apparatus having a new and improved arrangement 
for mounting and controlling an auxiliary cleaning device. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved 
carpet cleaning apparatus having an auxiliary cleaning device and features 
which interrelate auxiliary device operation and conventional vacuum 
cleaning operation so as to provide effective, convenient and selective 
operation of the auxiliary device. 
These and other objects will be readily apparent from the following 
description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
In carrying out the invention in one form thereof, a carpet cleaning 
apparatus is provided which includes a new and improved auxiliary cleaning 
device arrangement incorporated in a conventional vacuum cleaner without 
affecting normal operation of the vacuum cleaner. A retraction means is 
provided which is responsive to pivotal movement of a handle assembly of 
the apparatus to a storage position where it is substantially vertical 
relative to a carpeted floor. The retraction means automatically moves the 
auxiliary cleaning device to a retracted position out of engagement with a 
carpet surface when the handle assembly is moved to the storage position. 
Further, a retaining means is also provided for locking the cleaning 
device in the retracted position. The retaining means selectively either 
permits movement of the auxiliary cleaning device to a carpet engaging 
position or maintains the auxiliary cleaning device in the retracted 
position independently of subsequent handle assembly movement from the 
storage position. 
In one form, an auxiliary cleaning device comprises a bar of dry material. 
In a carpet engaging position, the bar frictionally engages a carpet and 
at the same time, disperses dry particles on the carpet surface so as to 
capture, rub and thereby cause release of dirt, dust and other foreign 
particles from carpet fibers and allow their removal from the carpet by 
agitator and suction cleaning elements of the carpet cleaning apparatus. 
In another form, the carpet cleaning apparatus includes an auxiliary 
cleaning device comprising a porous bar of fiber material. The apparatus 
is provided with a liquid supply means to supply the fiber bar with liquid 
cleaning material. The bar frictionally engages a carpet and transfers a 
small amount of the liquid cleaning material to the carpet which causes 
release of dust and/or dirt particles adhering to the carpet fibers and 
allow their removal via agitator and suction cleaning elements of the 
apparatus. The apparatus may also be provided with a liquid shut-off means 
responsive to movement of a handle assembly of the apparatus to a storage 
position for terminating liquid flow to the porous bar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 illustrates a carpet cleaning apparatus 20 of one type which 
embodies features of the present invention in one form. The apparatus 
includes a nozzle 22 pivotally connected to a handle assembly 24. The 
handle assembly includes a vacuum generating means including a not shown 
conventional motor/fan unit as is used on Hoover cleaner model U3101 
located within motor/fan housing 26 and further includes a dirt 
transporting duct 28 extending from the motor/fan unit and emptying into 
inner dirt collecting filter bag 30 encompassed by an air pervious jacket 
32. The nozzle includes a nozzle chamber 34 extending in a transverse 
direction therewithin. The nozzle chamber has a rotatable agitator 36 
mounted therein driven by motor/fan shaft 38 (FIG. 2) via belt 40 (FIG. 
2), and a transversely extending opening 42 for providing air suction and 
agitator communication with a carpet surface. A dirt transporting duct 44 
extends between the nozzle chamber and the motor/fan unit for transporting 
dirt and debris drawn via suction from the nozzle opening to the motor/fan 
unit where it is then discharged therefrom via the handle mounted duct 
into the dirt collecting filter bag. 
The carpet cleaning apparatus 20 is provided with several known or 
conventional features that are provided on Hoover model U3101 upright 
cleaner. For example, the handle assembly 24 is supported in a 
conventional manner by two side frames 46 and 48 which support the 
motor/fan housing 26 therebetween and permit its pivotal movement relative 
to the frames from the illustrated storage position where the handle 
assembly is substantially vertical relative to a floor surface to an 
operating position (see FIG. 5) where it is inclined relative to a floor 
surface. The nozzle 22 is also supported by the two side frames in a 
conventional manner by its interconnection therewith via two oppositely 
disposed nozzle plates such as, for example, the illustrated nozzle plate 
50 which interconnects with the side frame 46. Apparatus support and 
transport capability is provided by two rear wheels 52 and two adjacently 
disposed trundle wheels (wheel 54 shown in FIG. 2) which are 
interconnected with the two side frames via rear axle 56 and front axle 58 
(FIG. 2), respectively. 
In addition, a conventional handle lock means is provided which includes a 
cam lever 60 secured to the axle 56 and a cam surface 62 formed on the 
motor fan housing 26 of the handle assembly 24. The handle assembly is 
retained in its vertical or storage position by engagement of the cam 
lever with abutment 64 of the cam surface. A conventional handle release 
means is also provided which is illustrated as spring return release pedal 
66 which is secured to the axle. Actuation, by depression of the pedal, 
causes the axle to pivot so as to move the cam lever outwardly relative to 
the handle assembly and out of engagement with the cam surface abutment 
and thereby permitting the handle assembly to be pivotally moved relative 
to the nozzle to an operating position (see FIG. 5) where it is inclined 
or at an acute angle relative to a floor surface. Although a positive 
handle locking means has been illustrated and described, other locking 
means could be provided to maintain the handle assembly in the storage 
position such as, for example, a spring or cam arrangement which would 
eliminate the need for a release pedal in order to permit handle assembly 
movement from the storage position to the operating position. 
An auxiliary cleaning device, illustrated as a cleaning bar 68, is provided 
to enhance the above described traditional vacuum cleaning operation. The 
bar is disposed transversely within the apparatus and spaced 
longitudinally between the agitator 36 and the rear wheels 52. The bar is 
selectively movable relative to the nozzle 22 and agitator 36 so as to 
move it into the illustrated carpet-engaging or down position. In this 
position, the bar frictionally engages a carpet surface and at the same 
time deposits a cleaning material thereon so as to cause release of 
adhered dust, dirt and other particles from fibers of a carpet so that 
they can be removed from the carpet via suction and agitation. The 
cleaning material emulsify and capture the adhering particles so that they 
can be more easily removed from the carpet fibers. The frictional 
engagement of the bar provides both distribution of cleaning material on 
the carpet fibers and agitation of the fibers which promotes release of 
adhering particles. 
FIGS. 2-7 illustrate details of the carpet cleaning apparatus 20 including 
mounting and operational details of the cleaning bar 68. Referring to FIG. 
2, the handle assembly 24 is illustrated in its substantially vertical or 
storage position with the cleaning bar in a retracted position whereby it 
is out of a carpet engaging position. A guide means, illustrated as an 
auxiliary mounting support 70, is provided for guiding the cleaning bar 
into and out of engagement with a carpet surface and also provides support 
for the bar in the illustrated arrangement. The auxiliary mounting support 
70 includes a first support portion or bar support 72 having the cleaning 
bar mounted therewithin and a second support portion or link arm 74 
attached to the first portion and also mounted about the rear axle 56 for 
support and pivotal movement about the axle. A retraction means carried in 
part by the handle assembly and in part by the auxiliary mounting support, 
is provided for moving the cleaning bar upwardly relative to the nozzle 22 
and agitator 36 to the illustrated up or retracted position. The 
retraction means comprises linkage 76 and protrusion 78 which projects 
outwardly from the motor/fan housing 26 (see FIG. 6) of the handle 
assembly. The linkage is pivotally attached to the side frame 48 by 
connecting pin 80 and has a first leg 82 thereof supported by pin 84 
attached to the first support portion of the auxiliary mounting support 
with the pin extending through slot 86 of the linkage so as to permit 
sliding movement therebetween. A second leg 88 of the linkage is attached 
to a bias spring 90 through slot 92 in the side frame. As the handle 
assembly is rotated to the illustrated vertical position, the protrusion 
on the motor/fan housing moves therewith to engage and move the linkage 
via its engagement with third leg 94 of the linkage for retracting the 
cleaning bar upwardly out of engagement with a carpeted surface. 
Once in its retracted position, the cleaning bar 68 is locked in the 
retracted position by a retaining means comprising lock lever 96 in the 
illustrated arrangement which selectively permits movement of the bar to a 
carpet engaging position or maintains the device in the retracted position 
independently of subsequent movement of the handle assembly 24. The lock 
lever is pivotally attached to the side frame 48 via pin 98; is biased 
downwardly by spring 100 attached between the lever and the side frame; 
and is provided with a lip 102 thereon to engage and lock the linkage and 
cleaning bar in the upward or retracted position. An auxiliary release 
means, shown as pedal 104 (also shown in FIG. 1) and integral lever 
extension 106, is also provided to disengage the lock lever and the 
linkage. Depression of the pedal causes the locking lever to pivot 
upwardly to disengage the lip from the linkage so as to permit downward 
movement of the cleaning bar as the protrusion 78 is moved away from the 
linkage during downward movement of the handle assembly to the operating 
or inclined position. 
A biasing means is provided to control frictional engagement between the 
cleaning bar 68 and a carpet which permits adjustment for different carpet 
types; adjustment of the depth of bar penetration and cleaning material 
dispersement within a particular carpet; and adjustment to vary the 
manipulative or pushing effort of the carpet cleaning apparatus 20. The 
biasing means comprises the bias spring 90 and spring tension adjusting 
device 108. Referring to FIG. 6 where the adjusting device is illustrated 
in cross section, the adjusting device 108 includes rod 110 which is 
mounted for vertical and rotational movement within apertured support 
member 112 attached to the side frame 48 and within bearing sleeve 114 
secured within support member 116 which is also attached to the side 
frame. The spring 90 is attached at one end thereof to spring support 118 
which is secured to the lower end of the rod and is attached at its 
opposite end to the linkage 76 so as to cause a downwardly directed force 
to be exerted on the bar via the pivoting linkage and the auxiliary 
cleaning device support 70. A bias adjustment knob 120 is attached to the 
upper end of the rod and is supported by the support member 112. For 
adjustment of the spring and thus, adjustment of the biasing force for the 
cleaning bar, the knob is moved or pulled in a vertical direction, as 
indicated by arrow 122 and as shown in detail FIG. 3, and then the knob is 
rotated as indicated by arrow 124. 
As shown in the detail FIG. 3, a protrusion 126 is provided on the knob 120 
which selectively moves into one of a plurality of apertures such as 
apertures 128, in the support member 112 which are located in a spaced 
apart and generally circular pattern. Thus, after it is rotated to attain 
a desired biasing force, the knob is moved downwardly so that the 
protrusion moves within one of the apertures to assure retention of the 
knob at the desired selected bias setting. Although the adjustable spring 
biasing arrangement is illustrated, it is readily apparent that other 
biasing arrangements could be provided such as, for example, simply 
fabricating the auxiliary cleaning device support (FIG. 6) so as to have a 
desired weight or by adding additional weights thereto to provide a 
desired biasing force. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the cleaning bar 68 is formed of a porous material 
having a cleaning liquid supplied thereto for subsequent transferral to a 
carpeted surface via frictional engagement therewith. The bar may be 
formed of numerous materials or material combinations such as, for 
example, felt, open cell foam, or other fiber materials. It is desirable 
that the bar be porous, have capillary characteristics and be absorbent so 
as to saturate without dripping. It is also desirable that the bar be 
formed or coated with a material which would tend to minimize surface 
tension with a carpet as it is moved thereacross. A bar which was found to 
be particularly desirable was formed of extruded synthetic material, i.e., 
nylon, which was compressed and bound, utilizing a cellular binding 
material, into the illustrated substantially rectangular configuration. 
This preferred fiber bar was manufactured by American Filtrona Filter 
Company under Model Number D449B. This particular bar had a density of 
0.235 grams per cubic centimeter with the nylon fibers having a diameter 
of approximately 0.028 millimeters. 
A liquid supply means is provided for supplying a cleaning material 
solution to the cleaning bar 68. In the arrangement illustrated, the 
liquid supply means includes a liquid holding container 130, a flexible 
tube 132 and a spring loaded, normally closed dispensing valve 134 which 
is opened via an acutator arrangement which includes dispensing trigger 
136, control rod 138 and pivoting beam 140 (also see FIG. 4). The liquid 
holding container is accommodated within recess 142 of the handle assembly 
24 and is held therein by raised ledge 144 and pin 146 of removable 
container lid 148 with the pin being received within a hole 150 extending 
vertically from the recessed portion. The container is removed for 
refilling by pulling outwardly on the lid and then lifting the container 
from the recessed portion. The lid is then removed for refilling via 
opening 152 located at the top of the container. It is preferable that the 
cleaning liquid be a low foaming type and a type which leaves a minimum of 
residue on a carpet. Carpet cleaning liquids utilized with hot water 
extractors such as, for example, Hoover emulsifier carpet cleaner model 
C7001-002, have been employed successfully. To open the dispensing valve 
for supplying liquid via the flexible tube to the cleaning bar, the 
dispensing trigger is pivoted about mounting pin 153 toward handle grip 
154 which, as illustrated in FIG. 4, moves the control rod 138 downwardly 
to pivot the beam about pivot pin 156 so as to cause beam plate 158 to 
lift valve rod 160 and open the dispensing valve. Referring again to FIG. 
2, a beam spring 162 (FIG. 4) and valve spring 163 return the beam and 
dispensing valve to their illustrated positions when the dispensing 
trigger is released whereby the dispensing valve is closed. An initial 
saturation lever 164 is pivotally connected to the control rod by a pin 
165 which provides the interconnection between the control rod and the 
dispensing trigger. In operation, movement of the dispensing trigger 
causes dispensing valve movement and flow within a predetermined range 
with full trigger movement providing a valve position which is less than 
full open or full flow. However, to achieve quick initial bar saturation, 
the initial saturation lever is pivoted about the pin 165 to a full down 
position which causes the control rod to move downwardly a greater 
distance than is achievable via full trigger movement thereby causing the 
dispensing valve to move to a full open or full flow position. As 
illustrated, the dispensing valve, the valve spring and a seal 166 are 
integrally attached to the liquid container via a screw cap 167 which 
seats against a seal 168. Thus, liquid flow is directed in a controlled 
manner by the dispensing valve from the container, through a port 169 
formed in the handle assembly and to the flexible hose attached to the 
port. The above-described dispensing valve and its actuator arrangement 
are similar to an arrangement utilized on Hoover model F3119 shampooer 
except for the initial saturation means or lever and except for the valve 
rod being indirectly lifted using the illustrated pivoted beam. 
FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 illustrate operational movement of the cleaning bar 68. In 
FIG. 2, the handle assembly 24 is in the storage position where it is 
generally vertical relative to a floor surface with the cleaning bar being 
restrained in its retracted position by the protrusion or projection 78 
engaging the linkage 76 and is locked in this retracted position by the 
lock lever 96 with its lip 102 engaging the linkage. 
When carpet cleaning is desired, the handle assembly release pedal 66 (FIG. 
1) is actuated to permit pivoting of the handle assembly 24 as illustrated 
by arrow 170 to an operating position where it is inclined relative to a 
floor surface as illustrated in FIG. 5. As can be seen in FIG. 5, even 
though the projection 78 moves away from engagement with the linkage 76, 
the linkage and thus, the cleaning bar 68 is retained in its retracted 
position by the engagement of the lock lever 96 with the linkage. When 
additional or supplemental cleaning is also desired, the bar release pedal 
104 is actuated by depression thereof which causes the locking lever to 
pivot out of engagement with the linkage thereby allowing the auxiliary 
mounting support 70 to pivot downwardly due to its own weight and action 
of the bias spring 90 (FIG. 2) which causes a downwardly directed force to 
be exerted on the support via the pivoting linkage. 
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the release of the linkage 76 causes the 
auxiliary mounting support 70 to move the cleaning bar 68 downwardly to a 
carpet engaging position. Cleaning liquid can then be dispensed to the 
cleaning bar from the liquid container 130 (FIG. 2) in a manner as 
previously described in reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 and the bar, in turn, 
transfers the material to a carpet surface via frictional engagement 
therewith. Thus, the carpet cleaning apparatus 20 provides a combined 
cleaning operation upon a carpet, i.e., a conventional agitation and 
vacuuming operation and a supplemental or an auxiliary cleaning operation 
via the cleaning bar so as to release dirt, dust and other foreign 
particles adhering to the carpet. 
As can also be seen in FIG. 6, a counter bias means, illustrated as spring 
172 and spring 174 (FIG. 7), is also provided for controlling frictional 
engagement of the cleaning bar 68 with a carpet. The springs are attached 
to the auxiliary mounting support 70 by way of respective plates, such as 
plate 176, and are attached to the nozzle 22 at point 178 so as to form a 
triangular configuration. Although not essential, the springs do provide 
an additional means of controlling the frictional engagement force between 
the cleaning bar and a carpet surface. 
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the cleaning bar 68 and its 
mounting arrangement. As can be seen, the cleaning bar is generally 
rectangular in shape with two sides 180 and 182 being provided with 
recesses 184 and 186, respectively, and with a top portion 188 being 
provided with a generally U-shaped recess 190. Although it is not 
essential, the U-shaped recess does save bar material, facilitates bar 
mounting and promotes initial saturation by providing an unobstructed path 
for liquid to flow across the length of the bar thereby hastening 
saturation across the entire bar length. As mentioned previously, the 
illustrated cleaning bar was formed by extruding and compressing synthetic 
fiber material, and thus, it is flexible or resilient. The bar is 
assembled or mounted in bar holder 192 by compressing the two sides and 
moving it into the holder. The bar is retained therewithin by inherent 
spring forces, due to the bar resiliency, exerted by the two sides or legs 
of the bar against holder sides 194 and 196, respectively. The bar and bar 
holder are received within recess or channel 198 of the first support 
portion 72 of the auxiliary mounting support 70. The first support portion 
is also provided with a boss 200 on side 202 thereof to which a pivoting 
latch 203 is screw mounted and is also provided with recess 204 having an 
aperture 206 therewithin on side 208. The bar holder is provided with an 
integral projection 210 which extends through the aperture to retain and 
position the holder within the first support portion. Retention is further 
accomplished by rotation of the pivoting latch so that tip 212 thereof 
engages recess ledge 214 of the bar holder. In one fabricated arrangement, 
the bar holder was formed of plastic and the auxiliary mounting support 
was formed of aluminum, but other suitable materials may be utilized. As 
is also illustrated, the linkage 76 is connected to the first support 
portion via the pin 84 which extends through the linkage slot 86 and is 
secured within drill 216 of the first support portion thereby permitting 
sliding movement of the linkage. 
For transferring cleaning liquid to the cleaning bar 68, a flow control 
valve 222 is provided to which the flexible hose 132 is attached with the 
valves being secured to the first support portion 72 via screws 224. 
Although the flow control valve is not essential since a flow control 
means is already provided by the dispensing trigger 136 (see FIG. 2), it 
does provide an additional means to control the flow of liquid to the bar. 
The maximum flow through the valve is adjusted by rotating valve throttle 
225. When assembled, cleaning liquid flows from the flexible hose through 
the flow control valve and out port 226 thereof into generally 
rectangularly shaped holder reservoir 228 within the bar holder 192. A 
packing seal 229 located on the first support portion interfits with the 
bar holder to provide a liquid seal about the reservoir and prevent 
leakage or spillage from the upper portion of the reservoir. Base 232 of 
the holder reservoir has a plurality of holes such as, for example, holes 
230, which are spaced apart in such a manner as to provide substantially 
even distribution of the liquid from the reservoir to the bar. 
A carpet contact compensating means is provided to automatically establish 
a more uniform contact interrelationship between the cleaning bar 68 and a 
carpet surface. Such means is provided by pivotally interconnecting the 
first support portion or bar support 72 and the second support portion or 
link arm 74 of the auxiliary support 70 via pivot post 234 which extends 
perpendicular from the side 202 of the first support portion at a 
generally central location along the length or transverse extent of the 
bar as illustrated in FIG. 7. The pivot post is received within circular 
opening 236 of the second support portion and held therein by a not shown 
conventional retainer ring which fits within circular groove 235 of the 
pivot post. With this interfitting relationship, the first support portion 
is allowed to pivot or rotate in a rocking motion relative to the second 
support portion so as to compensate for uneven carpet elevations which may 
be caused by, for example, uneven floors or high traffic causing 
depression or matting of a strip or segment of a carpet. Thus, when the 
cleaning bar encounters uneven carpet elevations, the higher elevated 
carpet portion will cause the bar to pivot about the pivot post so that 
the transverse elevation of the bar is changed to provide more even or 
uniform contacting relationship between the bar and the carpeted floor 
across the full extent or length of the bar. 
As mentioned previously, the link arm 74 has the cleaning bar 68 pivotally 
connected to one end thereof via the bar support 72. At the opposite end, 
the link arm is provided with a drilled support sleeve 238 which receives 
and pivots about the rear axle 56. Thus, as can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, 
the lonk arm 74 when positioned on the apparatus 20, extends from the rear 
axle 56 forwardly toward the agitator 36 whereby the end thereof having 
the cleaning bar 68 pivotally connected thereto leads the opposite or axle 
connected end as the apparatus is moved or pushed in a forward 
longitudinal direction across a carpeted surface. 
FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate or modified arrangement wherein a cleaning 
liquid reservoir 240 is positioned in close proximity the cleaning bar 68 
and is removably positioned within a channel member 242 attached to 
support plate 244 which could be integral with a nozzle such as, for 
example, nozzle 22 shown in FIG. 2. A removable cap 246 is provided to 
allow filling of the reservoir with cleaning liquid. The base 248 of the 
reservoir has an output flow opening 250 therein which is automatically 
closed or blocked via a spring loaded check valve 252 when the reservoir 
is removed from the channel member with the check valve being mounted 
integral with the reservoir and removable therewith. When the liquid 
reservoir is in its illustrated mounted position, spaced apart downward 
extending projections or splines 254, of the valve engage fitting 256 
causing the valve to be lifted so as to compress spring 258 for opening 
the valve thereby permitting liquid flow from the reservoir to the fitting 
via openings such as, for example, opening 259, and the valve. A flexible 
hose 260 connects to the reservoir via the fitting 256 and extends to 
fitting 262 attached to bar support 264. An opening 266 is provided in the 
bar support to transmit liquid from the fitting into bar holder 268 with a 
second spring loaded check valve 270 being provided to close the opening 
or port when the cleaning bar and its holder are removed from bar support. 
When the bar and its holder are mounted within the bar support, valve stem 
272 engages plate 274 of the bar holder to cause compression of spring 276 
for opening the valve. The plate is provided with a plurality of holes, 
such as, for example, hole 278, which are spaced apart in such a manner as 
to provide substantially even liquid flow to the cleaning bar. The bar and 
bar holder are removably held within the bar support by a detent 
arrangement comprising outwardly extending projection portions 280 of the 
bar support which are received within respective recesses 282 of the 
holder. The bar support and/or the bar holder may be formed of plastic or 
other suitable resilient material which can be flexed so as to permit easy 
mounting and positive retention via the detent arrangement while also 
allowing easy removal of the bar and bar holder. Packing 284 provides a 
seal between the bar holder and bar support. The bar support is provided 
with a pivot post 286 which can be connected to the second mounting 
support portion 74 (FIG. 7) in the same manner as pivot post 234 (FIG. 7) 
and utilized in conjunction with other elements of apparatus 20 (FIG. 2), 
except for the liquid dispensing elements, to provide substantially the 
same mounting and operation of the cleaning bar as illustrated and 
described in reference to FIGS. 1-2 and 5-7. 
A liquid shut-off means is also provided for automatically terminating the 
flow of liquid to the cleaning bar 68 when the bar is moved upwardly to a 
retracted position. The shut-off means includes oppositely disposed 
pinching elements 288 and 290 attached to the bar support 264 and channel 
support 244, respectively. The flexible hose 260 is pinched between the 
two elements by upward movement of the pinching element 288 to the 
illustrated dotted position 292 when the bar is retracted thereby 
terminating liquid flow therethrough. As mentioned previously, the bar and 
bar support can be mounted or incorporated in a cleaning apparatus in the 
same manner as the bar and the first support portion 72 of the apparatus 
described in reference to FIGS. 2 and 5-7. Thus, the bar will be retracted 
automatically in response to movement of an apparatus handle assembly from 
an inclined operating position to an upright or storage position with the 
shut-off or pinching elements being responsive to such handle assembly 
movement via bar movement to automatically terminate liquid flow when the 
handle assembly moves to the storage position. 
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate details of the rotatable agitator 36. As can be 
seen in FIG. 9, the agitator includes an end cap 294 and a plurality of 
brushes or brush bristle tufts 296 which are arranged in two adjacent rows 
298 and 300 and which are disposed about a substantially cylindrical 
agitator body 302 in a helical configuration. As can be seen in FIG. 10, 
the brush rows 298 and 300 are disposed on opposite sloped sides 304 and 
306, respectively, of a molded plastic mounting strip 308 having 
respective grooves 310 and 311. The agitator body 302 is formed with a 
helical slot bounded by edge portions 312 and 313 which are received 
within the grooves 310 and 311, respectively, for retaining the molded 
strip. The brush bristle tufts of the adjacent rows form a V-shaped 
configuration with the bristles thereof disposed at acute angles relative 
to an imaginary vertical line 314 passing therebetween for providing 
wiping contact with carpet fibers 316 during agitator rotation as 
indicated by arrow 317. Such wiping contact provides brush contact over a 
greater surface of the carpet fibers than attainable with vertically 
oriented brushes which facilitates distribution of cleaning material on 
the fibers and thereby improves removal of adhering dirt, dust and other 
particles therefrom. 
FIG. 11 shows an alternate cleaning bar 318 which may be utilized with the 
previously illustrated and described apparatus 20. The illustrated 
cleaning bar is formed of a dry material which erodes during frictional 
engagement with a carpet. Although it is believed that the bar can be 
formed from several different materials or material compositions to 
provide a cleaning effect on a carpet, it is especially desirable that the 
bar erode uniformly so as to provide uniform dispersion of particles for 
cleaning and that the bar erode at relatively low rate so as to permit 
cleaning of a reasonable area of a carpeted surface before a new bar is 
needed. It is also desirable that the bar have a relatively low friction 
surface for carpet engagement so as to minimize any increase in 
manipulative effort due to bar engagement with a carpet. Further, it is 
desirable that the eroded particles be small in average size. The assignee 
of the present invention has found that a bar formed of a chalk material 
such as, for example, a blackboard break-in chalk number 31-226 
manufactured by American Crayon Company or a textile mill chalk number 
N1081, color number 581, white made by The Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, 
to be desirable and effective for carpet cleaning. Such bars may vary in 
hardness, but it has been found more desirable to employ the ones of such 
bars having a Shore A Durometer hardness reading of approximately 70 or 
below in order to provide desirable erosion characteristics although bars 
with a greater hardness may provide some cleaning. It has also been found 
that such bars often have an outer surface which is harder than its 
interior and thus, a particular bar may provide more desirable erosion 
characteristics after the outer surface is removed. The cleaning bar may 
be secured in bar holder 320 in any desired manner such as, for example, 
by gluing with, for example, Dow Corning Silicon Rubber Sealant Number 
1514300-1276. The bar can be utilized with the previously described 
apparatus 20 in FIG. 2. However, the apparatus may be simplified by 
deleting the liquid supply means including the dispenser control lever 
136, the liquid supply container 130, the flexible hose 132 and other 
elements associated with the supplying of liquid. The dry bar holder is 
also provided with an integral projection 322 and a recess ledge 324 for 
attachment to the first mounting support portion or bar support 72 in the 
same manner as the wet cleaning bar 68 as previously illustrated and 
described in reference to FIG. 7. When operated in conjunction with such a 
modified apparatus, the dry cleaning bar is moved into a carpet engaging 
position and the apparatus is moved across a carpeted surface. The bottom 
surface 326 of the bar erodes via frictional engagement with a carpet so 
as to distribute dry cleaning particles on a carpet. The frictional 
engagement and simultaneous releasing of particles function to release 
dust, dirt, etc. particles adhering to carpet fibers so that they can be 
removed via agitation and vacuum in a manner previously described. 
While there have been shown and described herein preferred embodiments of 
the present invention, it should be apparent to persons skilled in the art 
that numerous modifications may be made therein without departing from the 
true spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the 
appended claims to cover all such modifications which come within the 
spirit and scope of this invention.