Liquid dispensing and suctioning system for surface cleaning

Dispensing within a liquid dispensing and suctioning system is controlled by pinching a flexible tube with a spring-biased actuator. The system includes a slidable extension for pulling the actuator to open the tube to dispense liquid to a surface to be cleaned. The system is assembled with a tubular wand of a wet/dry suctioning system. The liquid dispensing outlet from the system is a slot from which liquid exits. That outlet slot is disposed near to the suction inlet slot of the suctioning system. A rib which is located between the dispensing outlet and the suction inlet contacts the surface being suctioned for assuring that liquid reaches that surface and is not sucked up in the suction nozzle inlet reaching the surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a system for cleaning a surface. The system 
includes means for storing a cleaning liquid, means for dispensing the 
liquid to the surface to be cleaned and means for suctioning the liquid 
along with any dirt, and the like, that has been washed from the surface 
or dissolved in the liquid from the surface. 
The prior art includes wet/dry suctioning systems which are adapted to pick 
up dispensed liquid and wet materials from a surface. Such suctioning 
systems typically include a collection tank, a take-up hose for 
transmitting the liquid or the wet materials from the surface to the 
collection tank and a suction motor, typically communicating with the 
tank, for generating a vacuum in the hose. 
A surface can be cleaned more easily by spreading a cleaning liquid, such 
as a solution of water and detergent, across the surface. The surface can 
be a floor, a carpet or other surface. The liquid facilitates cleaning by 
dissolving and lifting off dirt, and the like, from the surface to be 
cleaned. Furthermore, the subsequent suctioning helps to dry the surface 
or carpet by lifting away the liquid and wet material from the surface. 
Accordingly, liquid dispensing and suctioning systems have been developed 
to dispense cleaning liquid to a surface or carpet to be cleaned and to 
thereafter suction the liquid from the surface after the liquid has 
dissolved or lifted off dirt, and the like. Some of these liquid 
dispensing and suctioning systems are entirely self contained. Others are 
developed as attachments to an intake hose or wand of a standard wet/dry 
suctioning system. The liquid may be supplied to the attachment from an 
external source through a hose or tube or the liquid may be carried on the 
cleaning attachment within a tank. 
In some systems, liquid may drip continuously through a nozzle leading from 
a liquid supply container. However, it is advantageous to selectively 
control the dispensing of liquid from the liquid dispensing and suctioning 
systems. Such control may be achieved, for example, by a manually operable 
trigger for opening a dispensing nozzle or valve. Liquid may be dispensed 
periodically or continuously. 
In a system that is the subject of pending U.S. Application Pat. No. 
07/282,103, filed Dec. 9, 1988, there is a common unit that is applied at 
the carpet or the surface being cleaned and which both delivers the liquid 
to the carpet or surface and suctions up that liquid. If the liquid 
dispensing outlet and suction nozzle of that unit are located near each 
other, liquid dispensed through the outlet is suctioned into the suction 
nozzle before it is delivered to the carpet or surface. The liquid 
migrates along the underside of the housing of the nozzle system into the 
suction inlet without wetting the carpet or other surface and thus without 
cleaning it. Enlarging the distance between the liquid outlet and the 
suction nozzle enlarges the surface area of the underside of the nozzle 
that contacts the carpet or surface. Bringing the entire dispensing outlet 
to the carpet or surface being cleaned has the same effect. It is 
desirable to limit or reduce the surface area of the nozzle contacting the 
carpet. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved system 
for dispensing cleaning liquid to a surface or carpet to be cleaned and 
for subsequently suctioning the liquid along with dirt and the like from 
the surface. 
It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which avoids 
suctioning up dispensed liquid before it is delivered to the carpet or 
surface being cleaned. 
It is a further object of the invention to minimize the surface area of the 
suction nozzle in contact with the carpet or other surface being cleaned, 
especially when a carpet is being cleaned, so that the nozzle will 
normally press into the carpet for affording more effective suction 
pickup. 
The invention is directed to a liquid dispensing and suctioning attachment 
for dispensing liquid to a surface or carpet to be cleaned and for 
suctioning the liquid along with dirt and the like from the surface. The 
attachment is connectable through a tube with a source of suction, like a 
suction motor at a collection tank. The suction tube is included in a hand 
held tubular wand. There is a suction nozzle at the end of the tube at the 
wand. The suction nozzle has an inlet positionable adjacent the surface to 
be cleaned for intake of the liquid, dirt, and the like, and has an outlet 
fitting attached to an intake end of the wand leading to the collecting 
container. 
The attachment further includes a tank for containing the liquid to be 
dispensed. The tank is physically located at and is attached to the nozzle 
at the end of the wand. However, the liquid to be dispensed may be 
transmitted from a remote liquid supply as well. 
The attachment further includes a dispenser for selectively dispensing the 
liquid to the surface to be cleaned. The dispenser includes an actuator, 
means for biasing the actuator toward a closed position to retain the 
liquid in the tank and means for moving the actuator to an open position 
to dispense the liquid to the surface to be cleaned and a liquid 
dispensing outlet in the form of a slot extending across the width of the 
attachment, generally at its underside. Instead of a single slot, the 
outlet may be defined by a series of liquid outlet openings arranged 
across the attachment which together effectively define a slot. The 
suction nozzle inlet is also in the form of a slot extending across the 
width of the attachment at its underside. The suction inlet is near to and 
forward of the dispensing outlet, and they extend parallel. The dispensing 
outlet may be upraised above the suction nozzle inlet at the bottom of the 
attachment. 
The liquid dispensing outlet slot and the suction nozzle are quite near 
each other, e.g. in a common housing, as at the bottom of the tank. They 
are so near to each other that when liquid is dispensed from the 
dispensing outlet, which is typically above the surface being cleaned, the 
liquid is sucked into the suction nozzle inlet, without wetting or 
cleaning the carpet or other surface. Bringing the entire dispensing 
outlet slot, and particularly its periphery, to the carpet or surface when 
combined with the suction inlet, brings too large a surface area to the 
carpet. 
The invention comprises providing a liquid transmitting surface, located 
between the dispensing outlet and the inlet to the suction nozzle and 
positioned to contact the carpet or other surface. This surface provides a 
conduit or transmission path for the liquid and transmits it to the carpet 
or surface. The suction inlet on the opposite side of the liquid 
transmitting surface picks up the liquid from the carpet or other surface. 
The liquid transmitting surface may be a rib extending across the unit 
between the dispensing outlet and suction nozzle. The rib is a narrow 
element front-to-back, and extends straight across the attachment. It is 
located near enough to the suction nozzle that it does not significantly 
enlarge the surface area of the attachment which is in contact with the 
carpet. 
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent 
from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention 
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The preferred embodiment of the invention in FIGS. 1 and 9 includes a tank 
10 for containing cleaning liquid (not illustrated) therein, a nozzle 12 
for delivering the liquid and a dispensing system 14 for valving the 
liquid from the tank to the nozzle. The tank 10, the nozzle 12 and the 
dispensing system 14 are connectable to a tubular wand section 16 which in 
turn is connectable to an upper, separate tubular wand section 18. In 
operation, liquid is selectively and controllably dispensed from the tank 
10 to a surface to be cleaned (not illustrated) to dissolve or lift off 
dirt and the like from the surface. Suction is then drawn from a below 
described suction source 130, through the tube 124, wand sections 16 and 
18, and then through the nozzle 12 so that the liquid, along with the dirt 
and the like, is drawn up through the nozzle 12 and out through the wand 
sections 16 and 18. 
Except as otherwise indicated, the various parts of the preferred 
embodiment of the system are formed of molded, relatively rigid plastic. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the tank 10 is a total enclosure defined by an 
upper wall 20 away from the nozzle 12, an opposite lower wall 22 at the 
bottom of the tank, a back wall 24 which is at the side toward the user 
and a front wall 26, which has the nozzle 12 and wand section 16 in front 
of it. The walls 20-26 enclose the tank. A recess 28 is defined in the 
tank front wall 26 toward the lower wall 22 for receiving and guiding 
vertical shifting of the below described pinch slide 52. A ledge 30 
defines the top of that recess. A filler cap 32 is accessibly placed near 
the top of the tank, through which the tank 10 may be filled with liquid. 
The suction nozzle 12 is preferably molded of clear plastic, permitting 
observation of the liquid being sucked through the nozzle. The nozzle has 
a front cover 34 facing the front of the attachment and a rear wall 36 at 
the front of the waterfall 96. An outlet fitting 38 at the top of the 
nozzle connects it to the wand section 16. The lower end of the lower wand 
section 16 is retained in the outlet fitting 38 of the nozzle 12 by means 
of a spring biased button detent 39. A suction inlet 40 at the bottom of 
the nozzle 12 is to be placed at the carpet or surface to be suctioned. 
From its front side 141 to its rear side 142, the suction inlet is narrow 
all across the nozzle 12, to minimize the cross-section of the nozzle 
pressed against the carpet, as discussed further below. The cross-section 
of the nozzle 12 generally narrows in lateral side to side width and 
increases in front to back height from the suction inlet 40 to the outlet 
fitting 38. 
The liquid dispensing system 14 includes an outlet fitting 42 located at 
the lower wall 22 of the tank 10. A connecting member 44 is spin-welded to 
the outlet fitting 42. The inlet end 46 of a flexible, resilient, 
preferably elastomeric rubber or plastic tube 48 is pushed over and 
retained on the connecting member 44. The opposite outlet end 50 of the 
tube 48 is held below the inlet end 46 and is maintained open so that 
cleaning liquid can flow under the force of gravity from the tank 10 
through the connecting member 44, through the flexible tube 48 and then 
out past the open outlet end 50. 
The dispensing system 14 further includes a tube pinch slide 52 which 
serves as an on-off valve for flow through the tube 48. The slide 52 
includes a pinch tip 54 which is movable toward and away from a shelf 56 
that is molded in the dispenser wall 96 and the shelf projects beneath the 
pinch tip 54. The flexible tube 48 passes between the tip 54 and the shelf 
56. The slide 52 is biased down toward the shelf 56 by a compression 
spring 58. The compression spring 58 and a portion of the slide 52 are 
located within the recess 28 and between the tank 10 and the nozzle 12. 
The spring 58 is compressed between the ledge 30 of the tank 10 and the 
rear end 60 of the slide 52. Thus, the slide 52 is biased toward the shelf 
56 so as to pinch the flexible tube 48 between the tip 54 and the shelf 
56. When the flexible tube 48 is pinched, cleaning liquid cannot flow 
through the tube and is retained within the tank 10. 
A lower extension 62 extends up from the slide 52. The extension 62 is used 
for pulling the slide 52 away from the shelf 56 to open the tube 48 which 
permits dispensing of the liquid. The extension 62 is relatively thin 
front to back and wide laterally so as to slide in front of the tank 10 
and to the rear of the nozzle 12. Details of the extension 62 are not 
provided here. Generally, there are means 70 at the wand section 18 
enabling a user to pull on the extension 62 and raise the slide 52. 
Details of this means 70 are found in the above noted U.S. Application 
Pat. No. 07/282,103. When the means 70 is pulled upwardly manually, it 
pulls up the extension 62 which in turn raises the slide 52 away from the 
nozzle 12 to open the flexible tube 48. When the means 70 is released, the 
compression spring 58 urges the slide 52 toward the shelf 56 to pinch 
closed the flexible tube 48. 
The lower outlet end 50 of the flexible tube 48 is received on a prong 93 
projecting from the front side of a cross-shaped initial flow divider 94. 
The divider 94 initially dispenses the liquid flow as it exits the tube 
48. After the liquid falls off the divider, it cascades and flows across a 
waterfall arrangement 96 shown in FIG. 3. That arrangement is located to 
the rear of the nozzle, and the rear wall of the waterfall arrangement is 
typically inclined downward and forward, so that the liquid runs down the 
rear wall. 
The waterfall arrangement 96 includes a first plurality of inclined shelves 
95 which move the initially divided liquid laterally outward, through the 
openings 97, over the inclined further dividing shelves 98, onto the 
surface 99 and through the openings 100 over and through which the 
cleaning liquid cascades downwardly toward outlets 102 in a progressively 
wider pattern. Thus, the waterfall arrangement 96 serves to evenly spread 
the cleaning liquid across the full width of the waterfall arrangement 
which delivers liquid through all of the outlets 102 and those outlets 
extend over the full width of the suction inlet 40 of the nozzle 12. The 
outlets 102 are in a row (FIG. 3) and together define the dispenser outlet 
with a front side 143 that is toward or closer to the rear side 142 of the 
suction inlet and a rear side 144 that is further away from the rear side 
142 of the suction inlet. 
The present invention is directed toward assuring that liquid which has 
been dispensed through outlets 102 across the entire width of the nozzle 
be delivered onto the carpet or surface being cleaned, and is not instead 
suctioned up before wetting that carpet or surface. Directly beneath in 
the drip path of liquid from the outlets 102, and slightly forward of the 
outlets 102 to be between the rear side 142 and the front side 143, the 
outlets 102 and extending laterally across the nozzle, a liquid transfer 
surface 110 is defined in the bottom wall 112 of nozzle. The surface 110 
is preferably in the form of a continuous rib across the bottom wall 112. 
The rib 110 extends toward the carpet or other surface 120 being cleaned 
so that in the normal orientation of the unit with respect to the carpet, 
as shown in FIG. 2, the free edge 114 of the rib 110 contacts and presses 
into the carpet 120 while the outlets 102 and the front and rear sides 143 
and 144 of the outlets are upraised off the carpet. Cleaning liquid, 
carpet shampoo, or the like exits the outlets 102, either drips straight 
down or migrates along the wall 112 and then along the surface or rib 110 
to the carpet. The carpet fibers attract the liquid by capillary action, 
like a wick, and spread the cleaning solution before it is suctioned 
through the suction inlet 40. The edge 114 of surface or rib 110 contacts 
the carpet or surface 120 far enough from the inlet 40 that the carpet 
will receive liquid before it is suctioned. Yet, the surface or rib 110, 
and particularly its edge 114, is near enough to the suction inlet 40 that 
the cross-sectional area of the surface of the nozzle in contact with the 
carpet, and particularly its front to rear width, is minimized to enable 
the suction nozzle to press into the carpet, both under its own weight and 
by user pressure, to improve suctioning from the carpet pile. 
After the cleaning liquid is dispensed through the openings 102 and onto 
the surface 120 to be cleaned, the liquid and collected dirt is then 
sucked through the suction inlet 40 from the surface to be cleaned. As 
shown in FIG. 5, the upper wand section 18, which is hand held, is 
connected through a flexible hose 124 into the tank 126 of a conventional 
wet/dry pickup, tank type electric vacuum or suction cleaner 130. A vacuum 
is drawn in the hose and wand section and suction nozzle 12 by a 
conventional blow motor 132 seated atop the tank which sucks air and 
liquid through the hose. The collected liquid falls into the tank 126 
while the air is exhausted out of the outlet 134. 
Although the invention has been described in connection with a preferred 
embodiment thereof, many variations and modifications may become apparent 
to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the 
invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by 
the appended claims.