Abstract:
In combination, a removable tool may be selectively attached to the cleaning wand of a carpet extractor to alternatively clean hard surfaced floors, such as grouted tile and when not attached, clean carpeted floors. The removable tool may be sold as an aftermarket item for existing carpet extractors. A method of using the carpet extractor with the removable tool allows the apparatus to fulfill dual purposes, e.g., cleaning hard surfaced floors and when the tool is attached to the cleaning wand, and when the tool is removed from the wand to clean carpeted floors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention is a dual purpose floor cleaning apparatus and method of use. The apparatus is dual purpose because it can clean carpeted floors and hard surfaced floors, such as grouted tile. The invention also includes a removable tool that can be attached to a conventional carpet extractor to allow the apparatus to clean hard surfaced floors in addition to carpeted floors. The tool may also be sold as an aftermarket device for existing carpet extractors.  
         [0002]     Conventional carpet extractors such as the Bext extractors sold by Clarke include a body, a cleaning wand that the operator moves back and forth over the carpeted floor and conduits connecting the wand to the body. Unfortunately, these extractors do not have a brush on the wand, so they are unsuitable for hard surfaced floors including grouted tile. Attached in the Information Disclosure Statement, and incorporated herein by reference, are an Operator&#39;s Manual and a Parts and Service Manual for these Bext carpet extractors sold by Clarke/ALTO.  
         [0003]     One solution to this problem is to buy a second wand with a brush and squeegee to clean hard surfaced floors. However, it is inconvenient for the operator to carry around two wands and additional capital costs are incurred.  
         [0004]     Another solution to this problem is a “flipper” apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,375 assigned to Hako Minuteman, Inc., one of the many competitors in the floor cleaning business. This “flipper” has a rotatable cleaning head with a brush on one side and a vacuum pickup on the opposite side. To clean carpeted floors, the vacuum pickup is in contact with the floor surface. To clean hard surfaced floors, the cleaning head is rotated 180° so the brush is in contact with the floor surface. After scrubbing, the cleaning head is again rotated 180° so the dirty solution may be vacuumed from the floor surface.  
         [0005]     There is still a need for a better dual purpose apparatus that can clean both carpeted and hard surfaced floors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is a removable tool that can be slipped over the cleaning head of a conventional carpet extractor to enable the conventional apparatus to perform the dual purpose of cleaning carpeted floors and hard surfaced floors. The removable tool may be sold as an aftermarket item for existing carpet extractors or it may be sold in combination with new carpet extractors so the new extractor can be used to clean hard surfaced floors and carpeted floors.  
         [0007]     The removable tool has a squeegee and a brush to scrub the grout of tiled floors and other features of hard surfaced floors. The removable tool slips over the cleaning head of a conventional carpet extractor which can selectively spray cleaning solution and vacuum up the dirty solution. The squeegee of the present invention fits around the vacuum shoe of the conventional carpet extractor head to facilitate better pickup of dirty solution from hard surfaced floors. The brush permits aggressive scrubbing of a hard surfaced floor.  
         [0008]     The present invention requires only one cleaning wand and a removable tool to clean both carpeted floors and hard surfaced floors. The removable tool is small enough for the operator to carry it around and slip it over the cleaning wand when needed. This eliminates the need to carry around a second wand or to be continually stopping to rotate the “flipper” of the apparatus disclosed in the &#39;375 patent mentioned above. The removable tool may be manufactured with minimum clearance to grip the cleaning head of a conventional cleaning wand; or the attachment may be augmented with springs, clips or other suitable fastening means. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art carpet extractor with a single cleaning purpose wand.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a cross section of the prior art single purpose carpet cleaning wand of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective of the prior art cleaning head of the wand of  FIG. 1  viewed from the rear.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the removable cleaning tool for hard surfaced floors of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a section view of the removable cleaning tool for hard surfaced floors along the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the removable cleaning tool of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the removable cleaning tool of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a cross sectional exploded view of the cleaning head of  FIG. 2  and the removable cleaning tool of  FIG. 5 . In this view, the removable cleaning tool is separated from the cleaning head.  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning head of  FIG. 3  and the removable cleaning tool of  FIG. 4  viewed from the rear. In this view, the removable cleaning tool is separated from the cleaning head.  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of the cleaning tool mounted on the cleaning head of the wand. One spring has been removed to better see the cleaning solution spray head.  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  is a section view of the cleaning tool mounted on the cleaning head of the wand.  
         [0020]      FIG. 12  is a front perspective view of the cleaning tool mounted on the cleaning head of the wand.  
         [0021]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged section view of an alternative embodiment of the removable cleaning tool mounted on the cleaning head of the cleaning wand. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , a prior art carpet extractor is generally identified by the numeral  20 . The carpet extractor includes a movable housing  22  which can be moved about by the operator, not shown. The housing includes a solution tank  24  for the cleaning solution, better seen in  FIG. 1 . The housing also includes a recovery tank  28  for the dirty solution. The housing further includes at least one pump, not shown for the cleaning solution and at least one vacuum pump, not shown.  
         [0023]     A cleaning wand, generally identified by the numeral  36  has a cleaning head  38  and is connected to the housing  22  by flexible conduits  40 . The conduits  40  include a first conduit  42  for the cleaning solution which connects to the housing at the cleaning solution conduit connector  44 . The second conduit  46  is a vacuum conduit and connects to the housing at the vacuum conduit connector  48 . The housing has a first wheel  50 , a second wheel  52  and others, not shown, which allow the carpet extractor to be pulled or pushed by the operator around the floor, as needed.  
         [0024]     A control panel  54  on the housing allows the operator to actuate the various components of the prior art carpet extractor. But first, the operator must plug in a machine power cord, not shown. Some embodiments of the prior art carpet extractor also include a heater for the cleaning solution. Those embodiments with a heater also include a heater power cord. A heater switch  62  is also located on the control panel to turn the heater on and off. A cleaning solution pump switch  66  is located on the control panel to turn this pump on and off. A vacuum motor switch  70  is on the control panel to turn the vacuum motor on and off. Some machines may include a circuit locator  72  that indicates if the machine power cord and the heater power cord are plugged into different circuits. When the heater is in use, it is preferable to plug the machine power cord in one circuit and the heater power cord in another circuit to prevent unwanted tripping of circuit breakers. Those embodiments with a heater may also include a heat mode indicator  74  which indicates when the heater has fully heated the cleaning solution.  
         [0025]     A mechanical float assembly, not shown, is located in the recovery tank to turn off the vacuum motor when the recovery tank is full. This prevents overflows of dirty solution from the recovery tank. A drain  78  is connected to the recovery tank to allow easy draining of the dirty solution. A drain valve  80  opens and closes the passageway from the recovery tank to the drain.  
         [0026]     The cleaning wand  36  has a handle  82  that can be gripped by the operator to help move the wand back and forth across the floor surface. The cleaning wand  36  has a vacuum conduit  88  with a vacuum conduit connector  84  on end  47  and the cleaning head  38  on the other end. A vacuum shoe  90  is formed on the cleaning head and the vacuum shoe defines an elongate leading edge  92  and an elongate trailing edge  94 . The cleaning wand  36  also has a cleaning solution conduit  96  with a cleaning solution conduit connector on end  86 . On the opposite end  110  of the cleaning solution conduit  96  is a right branching conduit  98  in fluid communication with a right spray nozzle  100  and a left branching conduit  102  in fluid communication with a left spray nozzle  104 . Cleaning solution spray  27  leaves the spray nozzles and contacts the floor surface.  
         [0027]     The prior art carpet extractor  22  operates as follows. The solution tank is filled with water and a cleaning agent to form the cleaning solution. The extractor is taken to a carpeted floor for cleaning. The operator plugs in the machine power cord and for a heated unit the heater power cord. At least one vacuum pump is turned on and at least one solution pump is turned on. The operator moves the wand back and forth across the carpeted floor, and depresses the handle of the cleaning solution valve to selectively spray cleaning solution through the nozzles, as needed onto the carpeted floor surface. The cleaning solution travels from the solution tank, through the pump, through the flexible cleaning solution conduit, the wand and ultimately to the nozzles. Generally, the operator sprays some cleaning solution on the carpeted surface and then moves the wand back and forth to pick up the dirty solution.  
         [0028]     In other words, the spray is generally not in constant use. However, negative pressure is constantly pulled on the vacuum shoe to pick up the dirty solution. The vacuum pump creates the negative pressure or suction in the recovery tank. The negative pressure, sometimes referred to in the industry as vacuum, is pulled on the flexible vacuum conduit, the wand and ultimately the vacuum shoe  90 . This pulls the dirty solution from the carpeted floor back to the recovery tank. So the method is typically as follows: spray a little cleaning solution on the carpeted floor surface while moving the wand back and forth, stop spraying and continue moving the wand back and forth to vacuum up the dirty solution. The operator then moves to another carpeted area and repeats the process. The carpeted floor surface is then left to dry and is thereafter vacuumed using a conventional vacuum cleaner, not this prior art carpet extractor. Those skilled in the art are familiar with conventional carpet extractors such as the apparatus described above.  
         [0029]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-7 , the removable tool  120  for cleaning hard surfaced floors is sized and arranged to slip over a portion of the cleaning head  38 . The tool  120  has a generally rectangular body  121  that includes a front bar  122 , a middle bar  124 , and a rear bar  126 . The three bars are connected by a left side wall  128  and a right side wall  130 . The tool  120  includes a removable front elongate elastomeric squeegee blade  132  and a removable rear elongate elastomeric squeegee blade  134 . The front bar  122  forms a generally unshaped channel sized and arranged to engage the front squeegee blade  132  and the middle bar  124  forms a generally unshaped channel sized and arranged to engage the rear squeegee blade  134 . The leading edge  140  of the front squeegee blade is formed into a wavy pattern and the trailing edge  142  of the front squeegee blade is generally flat. The leading edge  144  of the rear squeegee blade is formed into a generally flat surface and the trailing edge  146  is formed into a wavy pattern. This arrangement allows dirty solution to flow under the wavy pattern on the leading edge of the front blade and be collected by the flat surface of the leading edge of the rear blade when the wand is moved forward relative to the operator. Likewise when the wand is pulled backward relative to the operator, this arrangement allows dirty solution to flow under the wavy pattern of the trailing edge of the rear blade and be collected by the flat surface of the front blade. So the front and rear squeegee blades which slip around the vacuum shoe  90  are always sucking up dirty solution from the hard surfaced floor.  
         [0030]     A plurality of brushes  148  are attached to the rear bar  126 . These bristles may be offset for greater cleaning effect. A spray slot  150  is formed between the middle bar  124  and the rear bar  126 . The cleaning solution which is sprayed from the nozzles  100  and  104  passes through the spray slot  150  to contact the hard surfaced floor. A vacuum slot  151  is formed between the middle bar  124 , the front bar  122 , the left side wall  128  and the right side wall  130 . The vacuum slot  151  is shaped and arranged to slip over and grip the vacuum shoe  90  of the cleaning head  38 . A left aperture  152  is formed in the rear bar  126  on the side near the left side panel  128  and a right aperture  154  is formed in the rear bar  126  on the side near the right side panel.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the tool for cleaning hard surfaced floors  120  is shown removed from the cleaning head  38  of the wand  36 . The arrows in the drawings show how the removable tool  120  is slipped over the cleaning head  38  of the wand  36  to convert the carpet cleaning wand into a device that is suitable for cleaning hard surfaced floors. A brush is necessary to scrub a hard surfaced floor, but is not typically used on carpeted floors. A squeegee is helpful to pick up dirty solution from a hard surface floor, but a vacuum shoe is generally all that is used on a carpeted floor.  
         [0032]     A left spring  156  forms a lower end  158  for engagement with left aperture  152  and an upper end  160  for engagement with the left branching conduit  102 . The right spring  162  forms a lower end  164  for engagement with right aperture  154  and an upper end  166  for engagement with the right branching conduit  98 . These springs are helpful, but not essential to keep the removable tool  120  secured to the head of the cleaning wand. If the tolerances are kept to a minimum the grip of the vacuum shoe by the first bar, the middle bar, the left sidewall and the right sidewall will hold the tool  120  on the head of the cleaning wand.  
         [0033]     Referring now to  FIGS. 10, 11  and  12 , the tool  120  has been slipped over the cleaning head  38  of the cleaning wand  36 . The upper end  160  of left spring  156  has been slipped over the left branching cleaning solution conduit and the lower end  158  has been slipped in the left aperture  152  to help hold the tool  120  on the cleaning head  38 . Likewise, the upper end  166  of the right spring  162 , not shown in these figures, has been slipped over the right branching cleaning solution conduit  98  and the lower end  164 , not shown in these figures has been slipped in the right aperture,  154 , not shown in these figures to help hold the tool  120  on the cleaning head  38 . Again, the springs are optional.  
         [0034]     When the tool  120  is slipped over the cleaning head  38  of the cleaning wand  36 , the apparatus is ready to clean a hard surface floor  170  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The flow arrows in the cleaning solution conduit  96 , the left branching conduit  102  and the right branching conduit  98  show the flow of cleaning solution to the left and right spray nozzles. In  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the spray  27  of the cleaning solution exits the left nozzle  104  and the right spray nozzle  100  and passes through the spray slot  150  in the tool  120  to contact the hard surface floor  170 . The wand is then moved back and forth across the hard floor surface  170  to scrub the surface  170  with the brushes  148  and to vacuum up dirty solution with the squeegee assembly  131  as shown by the flow arrows. The dirty solution is picked up by the squeegee assembly  131 , which includes the front squeegee blade and the rear squeegee blade. The dirty solution passes through the vacuum shoe  90 , through the cleaning head  38  and through the vacuum conduit  88  as shown by the flow arrows. The dirty solution is held in the recovery tank in the extractor  20  as better seen in  FIG. 1 . When it is time to go back to cleaning a carpeted floor surface, the operator slips the tool  120  off the cleaning head  38  and uses the wand  36  to clean the carpeted floor surface  172  as better seen in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged section view of an alternative embodiment of the removable cleaning tool  180  mounted on the cleaning head  38  of the wand  36 . Like structure will be identified by like numerals. A front elongate clip  182  is formed on a trailing edge  184  of the front bar  122 . A rear elongate clip  186  is formed on a leading edge  188  of the middle bar  124 . A front shoulder  190  is formed on the leading edge  192  of the vacuum shoe  90  and a rear shoulder  194  is formed on the trailing edge  196  of the vacuum shoe  90 . As shown in the enlargement of  FIG. 13 , the front clip  182  slips over and engages the front shoulder  190  of the vacuum shoe  90 . Likewise, the rear clip  186  slips over and engages the rear shoulder  194  of the vacuum shoe  90  to help hold the removable shoe  180  on the cleaning head  38  of the wand  36 . Again, a tight clearance is all that is necessary to achieve a grip between the shoe  180  and the wand  36 , but the clips  182  and  186  may be used as an option or in addition to tight clearances. Although the clips are described as elongate, they may also be formed as a row of independent teeth.