A FLOOR CLEANING AND LIQUID REMOVAL DEVICE

Abstract: A floor cleaning and liquid removal device comprises a hollow rotatable drum (20) whose exterior surface is covered with a liquid absorbent material (28). A pressure roller (30) is rotatably mounted against the drum to compress the liquid absorbent material as the drum rotates, to expel liquid from the material. The liquid is collected in a trough (40) from which it flows under gravity through a tube (130) to a hollow drum axle (23) and thence into the interior of the drum. The drum may be emptied by removing a cap from the end of the hollow axle and tipping the device sideways.

Description: A FLOOR CLEANING AND LIQUID REMOVAL DEVICE This invention relates to a floor cleaning and liquid removal device. The invention provides a floor cleaning and liquid removal device comprising a support structure; a hollow ground-engaging drum rotatably mounted on the support structure, the drum including a liquid absorbent material on its outer surface; a pressure roller rotatably mounted on the support structure with its axis of rotation substantially parallel to and at a higher level than that of the drum, the pressure roller acting to compress the liquid absorbent material as the drum rotates to expel liquid therefrom; a trough located below the pressure roller for collecting liquid expelled from the liquid absorbent material by the pressure roller; a conduit providing liquid communication between the trough and the interior of the drum so that liquid collected by the trough flows under gravity into the drum; means attached or attachable to the support structure for enabling the device to be moved across a floor; and means for emptying the drum of collected liquid. The invention will be understood in greater detail from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is- a front side perspective view of a first embodiment of device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear side perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Figs. 4-6 are side elevation views of the device of Fig. 1 of the Drawings in various positions of use; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional side elevation of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 8 is a partially cutaway side elevation of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 9 is a top and partially cutaway view of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 10 is a detailed partially cutaway . view of the device of Fig. 1 of the drawings; Fig. 11 shows the device being emptied of liquid; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional side elevation of a second device according to the invention; Figure 13 is a side elevation of a third embodiment of a device according to the invention in a first condition of use; and Figure 14- is side elevation of the device of Figure 13 in a second condition of use Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Figures 1-11, there is shown a device 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The device 10 comprises a support frame 11 which comprises a first side plate 12 and a second side plate 13 in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship connected together in a conventional fashion. A hollow cylindrical drum 20 is mounted between the plates 12, 13 on coaxial stub axles 23, 24 for free rotation about an axis normal to the plates. Each end of the drum 20 is closed by a respective circular end plate 79 (Figs. 1, 2 and 8) thereby providing an internal volume for holding a liquid such as water. The axle 23 is in the form of a tube and at one end is fixed fast to the side plate 13. The other end of the axle 23 enters the drum 20 through the respective side plate 79 while enabling the drum 20 to be rotated relative thereto. External to the drum 20 the outer surface of the axle 23 has an opening into which is inserted one end 131 of a tube 130. There is thus provided liquid communication between the tube 130 and the interior of the axle 23. The interior of the axle 23 is also in liquid communication with the interior 22 of the drum. If desired, and as shown in Figure 10 of the drawings, the axle 23 may extend inside the drum to the opposite end thereof to meet the axle 24, in which case the length of axle 23 within the drum 20 has a plurality of perforations or holes 29 therein to enable the interior of the axle 23 to be in liquid communication with the interior 22 of the drum. The part of the hollow axle 23 protruding externally of the plate 13 is closed by a removable closure or cap 25. If desired, and as shown Figure 10, a transparent tube 26 may be in liquid communication with the interior of the axle 23 to indicate the level of liquid in the drum. The tube 26 should preferably project perpendicularly upwards and have a height a distance of at least one half the inside radius of the drum 20 and preferably a height equal to the inside radius of the drum 20. If desired, the top of the tube 26 may have a spout (not shown) but, in any event, so as to allow liquid to rise and fall therein, the top of the tube 26 should have at least a small opening 27 for permitting the movement of liquid into and out of the tube 26 in response to the rise and fall of liquid in the drum 20. Apart from a relatively narrow band at the opposite axial extremities of the drum 20, the drum 20 includes a covering of a liquid absorbent material 28, for example, a sponge material, on its outer surface 21. A pressure roller 30, which is of a solid construction, is also freely rotatably mounted between the plates 12, 13 on coaxial stub axles 34, 35. The axis of rotation of the drum 20 and the axis of rotation of the roller 30 are in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship. In addition, the axis of rotation of the roller 30 is located forwardly of and at a higher level than the axis of rotation of the drum 20. By forwardly is meant in the direction away from the user when the material 28 is in a ground engaging condition to be further explained later in the specification. Preferably, the axis of rotation of the roller 30 is located perpendicular to a first notional line which bisects an angle subtended on the one hand by a second notional line (which is disposed substantially horizontally relative to the ground when the material 28 is ground engaging) and on the other hand by a third notional line (which is perpendicular to the ground) . In addition, the axis of rotation of the roller 30, having regard to the diameter of the roller 30, is located relative to the axis of rotation of the drum 20 such that the external surface of the roller 30 compresses the material 28 so as to cause liquid in the material 28 to be squeezed therefrom, thereby forcing the liquid over the top of the pressure roller 30 and into a trough 40. The trough 40 is disposed below the roller 30 and extends substantially the length of the roller 30. The trough 40, which is substantially u-shaped in cross- section, is closed at each end. The trough 40 may be supported between the plates 12, 13 in a conventional manner. Near the plate 13, the trough 40 has an opening m the base to which is fitted the opposite end 132 of the tube 130. Thus, the trough 40 is in liquid communication with the interior 22 of the drum 20 via the tube 130 and the hollow axle 23. Ground engaging wheels 45 and 46 are attached to the plates 12 and 13 respectively for rotation about a common axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum 20. The wheels 45, 46 are located rearwardly of the axis of rotation of the drum 20. If desired, a scraper element 50 may be supported between the plates 12, 13 substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum 20.- ' The element 50 has a length substantially equal to the axial length of the drum 20 and is located rearwardly of the axis of rotation of the drum 20. The element 50 is positioned such that the tip 51 of the element 50 is in touching engagement with the material 28 so as to scrape off any solid matter attached to the surface of the material 28 before it reaches the pressure roller 30 when the drum 20 is in rotation in a forward direction of the device 10. Located below the scraper 50 is a tray 52 which is mounted between the plates 12, 13 in a conventional manner so that the solid matter thus removed falls into the tray 52. If desired, the tray 52 may be removable for emptying of such matter. Means 53 for enabling the device 10 to be moved manually to and fro over a floor comprises a handle 54 fixed to a plate 55 mounted on the support structure 11 between the side plates 12, 13. Forwardly of the plate 55 and extending fully between the plates 12, 13 is a hinge 56. The hinge 56 supports a lid or cover 57 which serves to cover the top and forward portion of the device 10. Thus, lifting the lid or cover 57 reveals the pressure roller 30 thereunder as well as providing access to the other components of the device 10, for example, for servicing. A support member 59 is mounted between the plates 12, 13 forwardly of the drum 20 and carries at its free edge a squeegee blade 60 which is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum 20. The squeegee blade 60 extends substantially the full distance between the side plates 12, 13 and projects downwardly towards the ground. -The combined length of the element 59 and the squeegee blade 60 is such that with the drum 20 contacting the-- ground either the blade 60 or the wheels 45, 46 can be brought into contact with the ground, by tipping the device 10 forwardly or rearwardly respectively, but the blade 60 and wheels 45, 46 cannot both be brought into ground contact at the same time. The device 10 operates as follows. Initially, reference is made to Figure 4 of the drawings which shows the device 10 with the material 28 and wheels 45, 46 engaging the ground 100 and the blade 60 lifted off the ground. Liquid 110 is present on the ground 100 and it is desired to remove it. Pushing the device 10 forwardly (in the direction in the arrow 80, Figure 7) using the handle 54 causes the drum 20 to rotate anticlockwise (arrow 81, Figure 7) and the pressure roller 30 to rotate clockwise (arrow 82 as viewed in Figure 7) . As the material on the drum 20 passes over the liquid 110, the liquid is absorbed onto the material 28. As the drum 20 rotates, if the scraper element 50 is present, any solid material on the surface of the material 28 will be removed and will be collected in the tray 52. As the material 28 with the liquid 110 therein comes into contact with the pressure roller 30, the pressure roller 30 compresses the material 28 to cause the liquid 110 therein to be squeezed out from the material 28. This squeezed out liquid 11-0 will flow over the top of the roller 30 and into the trough 40 which liquid will now be referred to as the liquid 70. The liquid 70 in the trough 40 then flows under gravity into the tube 130 and through the hollow axle 23 into the interior 22 of the drum 20 where it is stored. Having moved forwardly over the ground 100 upon which the liquid 110 has been present, the device 10 may be pulled rearwardly. So as to avoid the material 28 from being ground engaging, the handle 54 is pushed downwards by the user so that the device 10 now rests on the wheels 45, 46 with the material 28 being free of the ground (Figure 6) . The device 10 may be now pulled rearwardly subsequent to which the device 10 may function again in the manner described above by moving the handle 54 forwardly so that the material 28 is again engaging the ground. The liquid 70 which has collected in the drum 20 will not affect the performance of the device 10. The drum 20 should preferably have a capacity to hold about 750ml-1000ml of liquid for relatively smaller devices increasing up to a number of litres in relatively larger device. Such capacity would be determined by the size of the drum 20. The volume of liquid 70 in the drum 20 may be determined by observing the meniscus of the liquid 70 in the tube 26. When it is desired to empty the drum 20, and with reference to Figure 11, the cap 25 is removed and the device 10 is tilted sideways so that the liquid 70 drains from the drum into, for example, a container 80 or into a drain or sink (not shown) . The tray 52 should first be inspected and emptied of material (if present) to avoid the material falling to the ground in the act of emptying the drum. As an alternative, the tube 26 could be used to empty the liquid from the core 22 via the opening 27. The tube 26 could, if desired, terminate in a spout (not shown) for ease of emptying. A further alternative is to provide a second cap (not shown) on the outer surface of one of the end plates 79 of the drum 20. This would make it easier to empty relative larger devices by having to lift only one end of the device if emptying into a drain etc. With particular reference to Figure 5 of the drawings, where the liquid 110 on the ground 100 is near a wall such that the drum 20 cannot traverse that part of the ground 100, the following operation may be performed. As seen in Figure 5 of the drawings, the handle 54 is moved to tip the device 10 forwardly to the extent that the blade 60 engages the ground and the wheels 45, 46 are lifted from the ground. The device 10 is now pulled rearwardly thereby causing the scraper 60 to move the liquid 110 in the same direction and away from the corner 120. If the device 10 is now used in the manner previously described, Fig. 4, the user may now collect the thus displaced liquid 110 by moving the device forwardly over that liquid 110. If desired, the device 10 may be provided with a mechanism to prevent rotation of the drum 20 when the device 10 is moved forwardly and/or rearwardly. Thus, when the drum 20 is prevented from rotating and the device 10 is moved forwardly or rearwardly, the material 28 remains in a stationary condition relative to the device 10 and there is thus provided a scrubbing or cleaning action on the ground 100 in the manner of a conventional so-called squeeze mop. There are a variety of mechanisms which could be employed to selectively prevent rotation of the drum 20. An example is shown in Figures 1 and 8 of the drawings. Thus, for example, the end of the drum 20 opposite to the tube 130 may be provided with a plurality of indentations 75 located circumferentially around the end plate 79. In the side plate 12 there is provided a knob 76 having an element 77 which projects through the plate 12 and extends a distance in the direction of the drum 20. A spring, for example, may be used to bias the element 77 in the direction of the drum 20 so that the free end of the element 77 can engage with one of the indentations 75 thereby preventing the drum 20 from rotating. The interengagement of the element 77 relative to the plate 12 should be such that, upon pulling the knob 76 in a direction away from the plate 12 and rotating it slightly, the bias of the spring may be overcome thus ensuring that the free end of the element 77 is no longer in engagement with the drum 20 which is thus free to rotate as previously described. Thus, the act of slightly rotating the knob 76 in the opposite direction (or further in the same direction if so arranged) will cause the spring to move the knob 76 and the element 77 in the direction of the drum 20 thereby again resulting in interengagement of the tip of the element 77 with an indentation again preventing rotation of the drum 20. With particular reference to Fig. 12, there is shown a device 150 according to a second embodiment of the invention. The device 150 enjoys all the features as described with reference to the device 10 and the same references have been used for the same or equivalent parts. However, the device 100 differs from the device 10 as follows. The ground engaging wheels 45, 46 are absent as are the scraper element 50 and the tray 52. While the device 150 also has a supporting element 53 which is mounted between the plates 12, 13 and a handle 54 mounted thereon, the position and inclination of the handle 54 of the device 150 is such that the forward direction of the device 150 is to the right as seen in Fig. 12 (arrow 180). Thus the pressure roller 30, trough 40 and squeegee blade 60 are all disposed at the rear of the drum 20, as compared to the device of Figs. 1-11 where they are disposed at the front of the drum 20. Accordingly, when the device 150 is in use pushed forwardly, the drum 20 rotates clockwise (arrow 181) thereby causing the roller 30 to rotate anticlockwise (arrow 182). Whereas, in operation of the device of Figs. 1-11, liquid 110 flows over the top of the roller 30 and subsequently into the trough 40, in the case of the device 150, the liquid 110 will flow essentially from the bottom of the roller 30 and into the trough 40. This arrangement will enable the expulsion of relatively large volumes of liquid particularly where the diameter of the drum 20 of the device 150 is considerably larger that the drum 20 of the device 10. Thus, the device 150 with its relatively larger diameter drum 22 could be used on much larger surface areas such as flat roofs, parking lots, factory floors, basements, tennis courts and the like where much larger volumes of water would need to be removed. Figures 13 and 14 of the drawings show a third embodiment of a device 190 according to the invention. The device 190 comprises two devices: a device essentially the same as the device 150 of Figure 12 of the drawings and a device 170. The device 170 comprises the device as described in International Patent Application PCT/IE98/00049 (WO99/00048) which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Thus, it is deemed that a full description of the device 170 is not required in the present specification as a full disclosures can be found m the said International Patent Specification referred to above. More specifically, the device 170 preferably comprises the device as shown m, and described with reference to, Figure 12 of the said International Patent Specification referred to above. In the present embodiment, it is preferable that a single roller 1160, a single ratchet mechanism 1164 be mounted onto the handle or as in 1130. The roller 1160 has highly absorbent sheet material 1100 wound onto the roller 1110 or a hollow cylindrical core 1112. Details of the material 1100 are provided in said International Patent Specification. The device 150 enjoys all the features of the device 150 of Figure 12 of the drawings- except that mounted on the frame 11 is a connecting element 191 for enabling the free end of the handle 1130 to be connected thereto. It is preferred that the connection between the handle 1130 and the element 191 be substantially rigid. In the condition of use as shown in Figure 13 of the drawings, it will be observed that the material 28 of the device 160 is ground engaging while the material 1100 of the device 170 is an elevated condition and thus not ground engaging. The device 190 is initially used m the manner as described with respect to Figure 12 of the drawings. However, if it is desired to more fully dry the floor or ground 100, the device 190 is placed in a second condition of use as shown in Figure 14 of the drawings. As will be observed in Figure 14 of the drawings, the handle 54 has been pushed by the user such that the device 150 is completely clear of the ground 100 and the material 1100 of the device 170 is now floor or ground engaging and functions in the manner as described in the said International Patent Specification. Thus, using the handle 54 and pushing it m the direction of the arrow 195 of Figure 14 of the drawings, the material 1100 rotates in the direction to the arrow 1196 thereby cleaning and drying the floor 100 as described in the said International Patent Specification. Even though the device 150 is now in elevated condition, water 110 cannot escape. A significant advantage of the device 190 is that a single unit provides a means in which relatively large spillage volumes may be dealt with quickly and efficiently subsequent to which, using the same unit, the floor can be virtually thoroughly dried. Thus a user only has to purchase a single device 190 to ensure a substantially fully dried floor with the time period from discovery of the spillage to a dry floor being significantly reduced due to the ability to employ a single device 190. Thus, in public places like restaurants, supermarkets, shops and the like, the need to wait for the floor to passively dry, which could take up to twenty minutes, is virtually eliminated. The device 190 is easy to use, move, carry and store. Furthermore, because the floor can be virtually fully dry following use of the device 190, the need for, and use of, warning signs advising of a danger associated with a wet floor is eliminated. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A floor cleaning and liquid-' removal device, comprising a support structure; a hollow ground- engaging drum rotatably mounted on the support structure, the drum including a liquid absorbent material on its outer surface; a pressure roller rotatably mounted on the support structure with its axis of rotation substantially parallel to and at a higher level than that of the drum, the pressure roller acting to compress the liquid absorbent material as the drum rotates to expel liquid therefrom; a trough located below the pressure roller for collecting liquid expelled from the liquid absorbent material by the pressure roller; a conduit providing liquid communication between the trough and the interior of the drum so that liquid collected by the trough flows under gravity into the drum; means attached or attachable to the support structure for enabling the device to be moved across a floor; and means for emptying the drum of collected liquid. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drum is rotatably mounted on a hollow axle whose interior communicates with the interior of the drum, and wherein the conduit connects the trough to the axle exterior to the drum whereby liquid flows into the drum though the hollow axle. 3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for emptying the drum comprises a removable closure on the axle exterior to the drum, whereby the drum may be emptied by removing the closure and tipping the device sideways . 4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, including an upstanding translucent tube communicating with the interior of the axle to indicate the level of liquid in the drum. 5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a scraper disposed substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum for scraping solid material from the surface of the liquid absorbent material before it reaches the pressure roller, and a tray for collecting the solid material. 6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a squeegee blade mounted on the support structure substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum and extending downwardly towards the ground, the support structure being capable of being tipped with the drum in contact with the ground to bring the squeegee blade into contact with the ground or out of contact with the ground. 7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including at least one ground-engaging wheel mounted on the support structure with its axis of rotation substantially parallel to that of the drum. 8. A device as claimed in claim 7 when dependent upon claim 6, wherein the squeegee blade is mounted on the opposite side of the drum to the ground engaging wheel, the support structure being capable of tipped with the drum in contact with the ground so that either the squeegee blade or the ground-engaging wheel is in contact with the ground but not both at the same time. 9. A device as claimed in any-preceding claim, wherein the pressure roller and trough are disposed at the rear of the drum, relative to the forward direction of use of the device. 10. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including means for releasably locking the drum against rotation relative to the support structure.

Inventors: MCLAUGHLIN HUGH ROGERS, MCLAUGHLIN, HUGH, ROGERS
Applicants: MCLAUGHLIN HUGH ROGERS, MCLAUGHLIN, HUGH, ROGERS
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A47L11
IPC codes: A47L11