BRUSH FOR USE IN STEAM CLEANING DEVICES

A floor cleaner brush arrangement includes a housing having mounted thereto a plurality of adjacent rotating brush assemblies. The rotating brush assemblies each include bristles extending there-from downwardly to the floor and outwardly into an overlapping and intermeshing relationship with the bristles of the brush assembly or assemblies adjacent thereto. The bristles of adjacent brush assemblies cooperate when rotating to contact the floor in overlapping fashion to eliminate cleaning blind spots.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, brush mechanism100consists of brush cover102and five similar brush assemblies; each consisting of a transmission shaft101, a peripheral brush body103, a central brush body105, a mounting screw104, and a pressure spring106. Each peripheral brush body includes peripheral bristles107and each central brush body includes central bristles108.

Each brush assembly is assembled around and including the brush cover by passing the transmission shaft down through a receiving hole in the cover, surrounding the passed-through bottom end of the transmission shaft with a pressure spring, trapping the pressure spring between the underside of the brush cover and the peripheral brush body by affixing the peripheral brush body to the transmission shaft with a mounting screw, and receiving the central brush body within the peripheral brush body so that the peripheral brush body surrounds the central brush body. The central brush body snap-fits within the peripheral brush body and is selectively removable there-from by assembly reversal for replacement thereof. The peripheral brush body is selectively removable from the brush mechanism by assembly reversal for replacement thereof.

The central bristles extend straight downwardly from the associated central brush body. The peripheral outer bristles extend downwardly and outwardly at ten to thirty angular degrees from the associated peripheral brush body. The upper ends of all bristles are secured to the associated brush body.

Each peripheral and central brush body is coaxial with the associated transmission shaft, is affixed thereto, and rotates therewith. The central bristles are co-directional with the transmission shaft while the peripheral bristles extend ten to thirty angular degrees there-from. The peripheral bristles are bundled in bristle groups that are evenly spaced around the periphery of the peripheral brush body. In the exemplary embodiment, thirty-six bundles are spaced ten degrees apart around the periphery. The spaced peripheral bristles of adjacent brush assemblies are disposed to intermesh in spur gear fashion so that the serviced areas of adjacent brush assemblies overlap as the adjacent brush assemblies rotate to eliminate any blind spot there-between.

The pressure spring associated with each brush assembly engages both the brush assembly and the brush cover to bias the brush assembly downwardly relative to the brush cover.

Each central inner brush body rigidly engages the inside of the peripheral brush body, which in turn is rigidly affixed to the associated transmission shaft by the mounting screw so that the brush bodies and their associated bristles rotate with the associated transmission shaft.

Adjacent brush assemblies intermesh and overlap as they rotate so that there can be no blind spot between adjacent brushes during cleaning. The pressure spring adjust and balances downward pressure of the brush bristles against the floor in order to avoid damage thereto and uneven cleaning thereof.