Steam cleaning apparatus

Steam cleaning apparatus, comprising an upper handle, an intermediate pole and a bottom head for production and supplying of steam, provided with an instantaneous steam generator, a water reservoir housed on the top of said pole in the region of the handle, a duct for transferring the water from said reservoir to said head and a water loading device housed on an associated loading mouth formed above said reservoir, further comprising a steam regulating device provided with a fixed bushing having a hollow bottom end sealingly engaged on the top end of a sectional pole and a valve body fixed inside said bushing, the top part of said valve body being sealingly engaged on a discharge mouth of said reservoir and provided with a through-hole able to be opened and closed in an adjustable manner by a valve which can be actuated on the outside of the device by means of suitable means movable with respect to said bushing.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a steam apparatus for cleaning horizontal surfaces, in particular floors.

As is known, steam cleaning apparatus exist, comprising an upper handle, an intermediate pole and a bottom head housing a sliding unit which supplies the steam to a rag, a cloth or the like, which is fixed to said sliding unit. The water necessary for production of the steam is supplied to said head by means of pipes which pass inside or outside the pole and is drawn from a reservoir which may be located directly inside the head, inside the handle or outside thereof. In all these cases, the bottom head has a heater or boiler which converts the water into steam. One of the main drawbacks of this apparatus is the difficulty in regulating the quantity of steam which is to be produced by the sliding unit for cleaning. This heater, moreover, increases considerably the overall volume and reduces the compactness of the apparatus.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the known apparatus mentioned above, by means of a steam cleaning apparatus which allows the user the possibility of regulating the quantity of steam produced by the head, which is compact and the dimensions of which may be varied according to needs.

This object is achieved by the present invention by means of a steam cleaning apparatus, comprising an upper handle, an intermediate pole and a bottom head for production and supplying of steam, provided with an instantaneous steam generator, a water reservoir housed on the top of the pole in the region of the handle, a duct for transferring the water from this reservoir to said head and a water loading device housed on an associated loading mouth formed above this reservoir; said apparatus comprises a steam regulating device provided with a fixed bushing having a hollow bottom end sealingly engaged on the top end of the sectional pole and a valve body fixed inside this bushing; the top part of this valve body is sealingly engaged on a discharge mouth of said reservoir and is provided with a through-hole able to be opened and closed in an adjustable manner by a valve which can be actuated on the outside of the device by means of suitable means movable with respect to said bushing.

As regards the description of said cleaning head, this instantaneous steam generator and in general the bottom part of the cleaning apparatus, reference should be made to the text of the description of the Italian Utility Model patent application Serial Number GE2001U00027 filed on Sep. 26, 2001, in the name of the Italian Joint Stock Company ARIETE S.p.A. at Macrolotto, Prato, Italy.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the accompanying drawings,FIG. 1shows a steam cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, comprising a handle1inside which a water storage reservoir2is housed. This handle1also houses internally a water loading device3provided with associated cap301and a device22for regulating the steam produced by an instantaneous steam generator housed inside a bottom cleaning head7. This loading device3is positioned opposite an upper mouth202for loading the water inside said reservoir2, while said regulating device22is positioned opposite a bottom mouth201for discharging the water from said reservoir2. The handle1comprises, in the vicinity of its sides, two openings101which render visible two sections203of the reservoir2, which may be made of transparent material for verification of the water level inside the reservoir2or, alternatively, the reservoir itself may be made of transparent material. A sectional pole4is connected in a known manner to the bottom end of the handle1and consists, in this example of embodiment, of four tubular elements401,402,403,404housing a water flow duct5composed of four tubular sections501,502,503,504.

Obviously, both the tubular elements401–404and the tubular sections501–504could be of a different number and have different dimensions from that illustrated in the figure by way of example, depending on the aesthetic requirements and convenience of use of the apparatus. These tubular sections501–504are connected together and to the reservoir2by means of sealed joints601,602,603,604; for example, the tubular section501is connected at the top to the discharge mouth201of the reservoir2by means of a first sealed joint601and, at the bottom, is connected to the tubular section502by means of a second sealed joint602. The final tubular element404of the pole4is connected directly to the cleaning head7, which comprises an upper casing701and a removable bottom sliding unit702made of impact-resistant material. An electrical power cable8for steam operation of the present apparatus is connected to this cleaning head7.

FIG. 2shows in detail the water loading device3engaged on the loading mouth202of the reservoir2. This device3comprises a cap made of elastomer material301and provided with an upper hole302for entry of the air under atmospheric pressure inside the reservoir2, so as to allow descent of the water from this reservoir2to the head7, when required. This cap301is inserted in a funnel-shaped seat102which is fixed at the top on the handle1and at the bottom is inserted, by means of suitable sealing means103, inside the loading mouth202of the reservoir2.

FIGS. 3,4and5show in detail the steam regulating device22housed opposite the mouth201for discharging the water from the tank2. This device22comprises a fixed bushing24with a substantially frustoconical shape, the cylindrical bottom end241of which, having a smaller cross section, is inserted, via sealing means25, inside the joint601of the first tubular element401of the sectional pole4and the top part of which, having a larger cross section, receives the bottom end of the handle1. A valve body29with a substantially cylindrical shape is fixed to said bushing24by means of screws42, only one of which is visible in the figures. The top part291of said valve body29is inserted, by means of sealing means30, inside the discharge mouth201of the reservoir2and comprises a frustoconical through-hole292inside which the conical needle283for regulating a valve28is inserted. This valve28comprises, at the bottom, a cylindrical shaft282inserted, by means of sealing means27, inside an associated cylindrical seat242formed above the bottom end241of the bushing24and coaxial therewith. A cup-shaped cylindrical housing281, inside which a conical seal26preferably made of elastomer material is inserted, is formed above said shaft282and around the body of the conical needle283. A regulating ring23, which is rotatable with respect to said bushing24, is provided around the fixed bushing24, at the top end of the first tubular element401. This ring23comprises externally a reference notch231and internally a contact element31engaged with a first tongue37formed radially in the valve28, at the height of the top part of its bottom shaft282. Said valve28comprises, at the height of the cylindrical housing281, a second radial tongue38which is engaged inside a track35in the form of a circle arc (FIG. 5) formed inside the valve body29; this track35defines, substantially, the length of the angle of rotation of the regulating ring23around the fixed bushing24. Above said first radial tongue37, said valve28comprises a substantially vertical tooth40engaged on a surface41inclined downwards and formed on the top end of the valve body29. On the other hand the bottom part of the shaft282of the valve28has, formed on it, a pin43able to engage with an inclined track39fixed inside the base of the cylindrical seat242formed in the fixed bushing24. As can be seen fromFIG. 5, the body of the conical needle283of the valve28comprises three longitudinal grooves32,33,34which are able to face a longitudinal channel36formed inside the seal26made of elastomer material. These grooves represent three different degrees of opening the regulating device22, i.e. the groove32represents a minimum degree of opening, the groove33represents an intermediate degree of opening, while the groove34represents a maximum degree of opening.

Let us consider operation of the regulating device22on the basis of the figures described hitherto. In the position shown inFIG. 3, the regulating device closes off the flow of the water from the reservoir2to the first tubular element401of the sectional pole4: in this case the longitudinal channel36formed in the internal wall of the seal26does not face any of the longitudinal grooves32–34formed along the body of the regulating needle283of the valve28, the pin43of the shaft282is located above the track39formed in the bushing24and the second tongue38of the cylindrical housing281of the valve is at the end of the track35of the valve body, basically in the opposite position to that shown inFIG. 5. In this situation, the reference notch231of the regulating ring23will indicate that the device22is closed and there is no water flowing and therefore there will be no production of steam by the cleaning head of the apparatus. By rotating the ring23about the fixed bushing24, the contact element31, engaged with the first tongue37of the valve28, will cause rotation of said valve28which is lowered vertically since the tooth40runs along the inclined surface towards the bottom41of the valve body29. This rotation of the needle283also causes a displacement of the second tongue38of the valve along the track35of the valve body29as far as the position where one of the longitudinal grooves32–34is facing the channel36of the seal26.FIG. 4illustrates the case where there is intermediate opening of the regulating device and therefore it is the central channel33which faces said channel26. In this situation the water from the reservoir2enters into the frustoconical hole292, through the duct formed by said groove33and said channel36, passes through the shaft282, the bottom end241of the bushing24and then reaches the first tubular element401of the sectional pole4from where it is conveyed to the instantaneous steam generator which will consequently produce an intermediate steam flow. In order to increase the production of steam to the maximum flow, it is sufficient to rotate the ring until it reaches the position shown inFIG. 5, with the groove34with a larger cross section facing the channel36of the seal26and the second tongue38of the valve having reached the end of its travel inside the track35of the valve body29. In order to interrupt the steam supply, it is necessary to interrupt the supply of water to the pole4from the reservoir2: therefore by rotating the ring23in the opposite direction to the previous direction, so as to pass from the condition shown inFIG. 4into that shown inFIG. 3, the valve28—and in particular its bottom pin43which travels up the track39formed in the bushing24—is made to rotate again. This upwards displacement of the pin43causes raising of the valve28and in particular the needle283which closes again the hole292and therefore interrupts the water flow.

As it is possible to understand from the above description, the advantages resulting from use of a steam cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment shown above by way of example are numerous, as are the constructional forms which may be adopted in order to obtain these advantages without departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.