Push brush cleaner

The push brush carpet or hard surface cleaner of the present invention is preferably comprised of a cleaning brush with a round surface area to which cleaning bristles of any conventional size and shape are attached. The brush is preferably attached to a frame by use of an axle, wheel and bearing configuration which permits locking of the axle in place at a given rotary position of the brush and also unlocking of the axle to permit rotation of the brush to a different position. In use, the rotary brush is locked in place in a given rotary position by the user, and a portion of the brush surface will come in contact with the carpet or hard surface as the user pushes the brush in a preferably reciprocating motion. In so doing, debris on the carpet or hard surface is agitated and/or expelled by the contacted area of the brush surface. After one area of the brush surface has been exposed to debris, the axle, bearing and wheel configuration permits unlocking, rotation and re-locking of the brush to permit a different portion of the brush surface to contact the carpet or hard surface. In practice the brush is preferably pushed over the carpet or hard surface to agitate and/or expel a debris-laden cleaning solution that has been previously applied to the carpet or hard surface to accomplish cleaning. Finally, the axle, bearing and wheel configuration permits easy disassembly of the brush to allow easy replacement of the brush and to permit accommodation of various brush sizes and bristle varieties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to a device for cleaning carpets or hard
 surfaces, and in particular relates to a round brush which is preferably
 pushed over the surface of a carpet or hard surface to agitate and/or
 expel a debris-laden cleaning solution that has been previously applied to
 the carpet or hard surface to accomplish chemical cleaning.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 Many devices exist in the art for cleaning carpets and hard surfaces, and
 many devices utilize brushes to accomplish the removal of cleaning
 solutions which have been previously applied to a carpet or hard surface
 to accomplish chemical cleaning. However, none of the devices in the prior
 art provides a round brush which may be locked in place as the user
 manually pushes the brush to remove the chemical cleaning solution, and
 which may optionally be unlocked to permit the exposure of a different
 portion of the surface area of the brush to the surface.
 The present invention solves this problem by providing a brush with a round
 surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a carpet or
 hard surface to agitate and/or expel a debris-laden cleaning solution that
 has been previously applied to accomplish chemical cleaning of the surface
 and subsurface. The brush is optionally rotatable, and may be locked in
 place to accomplish the cleaning operation and then unlocked to permit the
 exposure of a different portion of the surface area of the brush to the
 surface.
 The brush design of the present invention provides many advantages over
 prior art manually operated push brush designs, such as enabling more
 consistent cleaning than prior art brush designs due to constant contact
 of the brush bristles with areas both on and below the exposed surface of
 the carpet or the hard surface and the ability to periodically shift to an
 unexposed surface area of the brush, causing less bristle fatigue for a
 given carpet or hard surface area covered and providing better carpet or
 floor surface depth penetration for a given amount of user effort due to
 the rounded design of the brush, and permitting greater ease in changing
 bristle varieties to accommodate various carpet or hard surface textures,
 due to the preferred axle and bearing configuration of the brush frame.
 The present invention also provides many advantages over prior art
 electromechanical scrubbing devices, such as providing portability and
 cost economy through elimination of the need for an external source of
 power.
 Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning
 brush with a round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface
 of a carpet or hard surface.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush
 with a round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a
 carpet or hard surface to agitate and/or expel a debris-laden cleaning
 solution that has been previously applied to accomplish chemical cleaning.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush
 with a round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a
 carpet or hard surface which is optionally rotatable, and which may be
 locked in place to accomplish the cleaning operation and then unlocked to
 permit the exposure of a different portion of the surface area of the
 brush.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush
 with a round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a
 carpet or hard surface to enable more consistent cleaning than prior art
 brush designs due to constant contact of the brush bristles with areas
 both on and below the exposed surface of the carpet or hard surface and
 the ability to periodically shift to an unexposed surface area of the
 brush.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush
 with a round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a
 carpet or hard surface which causes less bristle fatigue than prior art
 brush designs for a given carpet or floor surface area covered and which
 provides better carpet or hard surface depth penetration than prior art
 brush designs for a given amount of user effort.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a brush with a
 round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a carpet
 or hard surface which permits greater ease in changing brush sizes and
 bristle varieties to accommodate various carpet or hard surface textures
 due to the preferred axle and bearing configuration of the brush frame.
 It is also an object of the present invention to provide a brush with a
 round surface area that is preferably pushed over the surface of a carpet
 or over a hard surface which provides portability and cost economy through
 elimination of the need for an external source of power.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The push brush carpet and hard surface cleaner of the present invention is
 preferably comprised of a cleaning brush with a round surface area to
 which cleaning bristles of any conventional size and shape are attached.
 The brush is preferably attached to a frame by use of an axle, wheel and
 bearing configuration which permits locking of the axle in place at a
 given rotary position of the brush and also unlocking of the axle to
 permit rotation of the brush to a different position.
 In use, the rotary brush is locked in place in a given rotary position by
 the user, and a portion of the brush surface will come in contact with the
 carpet or hard surface as the user pushes the brush in a reciprocating
 manner. In so doing, debris on the surface will be agitated and/or
 expelled by the contacted area of the brush surface. After one area of the
 brush surface has been exposed to debris, the axle, bearing and wheel
 configuration permits unlocking, rotation and re-locking of the brush to
 permit a different portion of the brush surface to contact the surface. In
 practice the brush is preferably pushed over the surface of a carpet or a
 hard surface to agitate and/or expel a debris-laden cleaning solution that
 has been previously applied to accomplish chemical and/or mechanical
 cleaning. The cleaning solution can be any conventional chemical solution
 suitable for the purpose of cleaning, but the brush of the present
 invention is preferably used for carpet cleaning in conjunction with a dry
 powder or substantially neutral Ph dry crystalline formula cleaning
 solution. Finally, the axle, bearing and wheel configuration permits easy
 disassembly of the brush to allow easy replacement or cleaning of the
 brush and to permit accommodation of various brush sizes and bristle
 varieties.
 Other details, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become
 apparent in the following description of the presently preferred
 embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the push brush cleaner of the present invention
 is preferably comprised of a cleaning brush 1 with a round surface area to
 which cleaning bristles 2 of any desired size and shape are attached. The
 brush 1 is preferably attached to a frame 3 by use of an axle 4 running
 axially through the center of the brush, such as a conventional hexagonal
 axle. Preferably attached to the axle 4 are wheels 5 that each preferably
 contain a bearing 6 inside which an end of the axle 4 rotates and which
 permits locking of the axle 4 in place at a given rotary position of the
 brush 1 along with unlocking of the axle 4 to permit rotation of the brush
 1 to a different position. Although the use of wheels 5 is preferred due
 to the improved cleaning which is caused by the consistent amount of
 clearance between the brush surface 1 and the cleaned surface created by
 the wheels 5, the present invention will also accomplish its intended
 purpose without the use of wheels. Preferably attached to the frame 3 is a
 handle 7 which is gripped by the user as the brush 1 is pushed over the
 surface of a carpet or hard surface.
 In use, the rotary brush 1 is locked in place in a given rotary position by
 the user, and a portion of the brush surface 1 will come in contact with
 the carpet or hard surface as the user pushes the brush across an area of
 the carpet or surface, preferably in a reciprocating motion which causes
 the brush 1 to travel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the
 axle 4. In so doing, debris on and/or below the exposed surface of the
 carpet or hard floor will be agitated and/or expelled by the contacted
 area of the brush surface 1 due to the friction created by the coarseness
 of the bristle pattern 2. After one area of the brush surface 1 has been
 exposed to debris, through use of conventional well-known locking
 mechanisms such as for example a ratchet and pawl configuration the axle
 4, bearing 6 and wheel 5 configuration permits unlocking and rotation of
 the brush 1 to permit a different portion of the brush surface 1 to
 contact the surface, so that the brush 1 may be locked in place in this
 new rotary position to accomplish the cleaning operation with an unexposed
 portion of the brush surface 1. In practice the brush 1 is preferably
 pushed over the surface to agitate and/or expel a debris-laden cleaning
 solution (not shown) that has been previously applied to the surface to
 accomplish chemical cleaning. The cleaning solution (not shown) can be any
 conventional chemical solution suitable for the purpose of cleaning
 carpets or floors or other hard surfaces, but the brush 1 of the present
 invention is preferably used for carpet cleaning in conjunction with a dry
 powder or substantially neutral Ph dry crystalline formula cleaning
 solution such as the Crystal Dry carpet cleaning agent manufactured by the
 R. E. Whittaker Company. Finally, the axle 4, bearing 6 and wheel 5
 configuration permits easy disassembly of the brush 1 to permit easy
 replacement of the brush 1 and to allow accommodation of various brush
 sizes and bristle varieties.
 While presently preferred embodiments of practicing the invention have been
 shown and described with particularity in connection with the accompanying
 drawings, the invention may otherwise be embodied within the scope of the
 following claims: