Abstract:
An improved floor cleaning device having a base assembly for movement along a cleaning surface is provided. The base assembly comprises a brush assembly for engaging the surface of the floor being cleaned removably mounted to a base part. A nozzle assembly is removably mounted to the base part such that the nozzle assembly is positioned adjacent to the brush assembly to prevent the brush assembly from disengaging from the base part.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to floor cleaning unit having a brush assembly.  
           [0003]    2. Background Information  
           [0004]    It is known in the prior art to provide a floor cleaning unit having brushes to assist in scrubbing of the surface being cleaned. The brush assembly is generally affixed to the main body of the floor cleaning unit. However, after many times of use, a user may want to remove the brush assembly to clean the brushes or replace them due to the wear and tear of their bristles.  
           [0005]    One example of a brush removal device is illustrated by commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,593 issued to Crouser. This patent generally comprises an elongate brush support beam having integrally molded, spaced apart, vertically aligned cylindrical bearings each receiving therein a vertically directed axle shaft of an associated rotary scrubbing brush. The brush assembly has outwardly projecting resilient tangs  51  depending from the lower end of gear guard  32 A. Each tab snaps into vertically elongated grooves or slots  53  and  57  respectively of lower housing in the base module  10  of the carpet extractor. Each tab has hook portions at its free end that will engage the bottom end of the vertical slot to support the guard and brush support beam. The resilient tabs are pressed inwardly by a user to disengage the hooks from the bottom end of the vertical slot and thus, allow removal of the brush block. However, due to the structure and arrangement of the tangs with respect to the brush block, a user has some difficulty in accessing, grasping, and pressing the tabs inwardly. Often, a tool such as a screwdriver has to be used by the user to press the tabs inwardly.  
           [0006]    Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a brush assembly that is easily removed from a floor cleaning unit by a user.  
           [0007]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a brush assembly of a floor cleaning unit with improved distribution of cleaning solution.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description and the attached drawings. In one embodiment of the present invention, an improved floor cleaning unit having a base assembly for movement along a cleaning surface is provided. The base assembly comprises a brush assembly for engaging the surface of the floor being cleaned mounted to a base part. A nozzle assembly is removably mounted to the base part such that the nozzle assembly is positioned adjacent to the brush assembly to prevent the brush assembly from disengaging from the base part.  
           [0009]    In another aspect of the invention, an improved floor cleaning unit having a base assembly for movement along a cleaning surface is provided. The base assembly comprises a nozzle assembly and a brush assembly for engaging the surface of the floor being cleaned mounted to a base part. The brush assembly includes a support member having a plurality of rows of bristles extending downwardly. A dispensing bar is provided to the support member and includes a row of fluid distribution openings parallel to the rows of bristles. The row of fluid distribution openings is positioned between two rows of bristles.  
           [0010]    In still another aspect of the invention, a method for removing a brush assembly from a floor cleaning unit having a nozzle assembly is disclosed. The method includes the steps of removing the nozzle assembly to allow access to the brush assembly and then removing the brush assembly from the brush assembly from the floor cleaning device. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the attached drawings, of which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the floor cleaning unit of one embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the of the base assembly of the floor cleaning unit of FIG. 1 illustrating the principle elements of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the base assembly of the floor cleaning unit of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the brush block assembly of the floor cleaning unit of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the brush block assembly of FIG. 4;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is top and front perspective view of the brush block assembly of FIG. 4;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is sectional view of taken along line  7 - 7  of FIG. 3;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along  8 - 8  of FIG. 3; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing another embodiment according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]    Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of an upright hard floor-cleaning unit  40  of one embodiment of the present invention. The hard floor cleaning unit  40  comprises an upright handle assembly  42  pivotally connected to the rear portion of a base assembly  44  that moves and cleans along a surface. The base assembly  44  includes a nozzle assembly  62  for recovering particles and/or fluid from the floor and a brush block assembly  216  (FIGS.  2 ,  4 - 8 ) for scrubbing the floor. The base assembly  44  further includes a frame  52  (FIG. 2) which is generally unitary molded and includes two laterally displaced rear wheels  54 . The handle assembly  42  includes a recovery tank  53  for collecting the particles and/or fluid picked up by the nozzle assembly  62  and a solution tank  43  containing cleaning solution for distribution on the floor.  
         [0022]    Generally, the hard floor cleaning unit  40  can be used for two modes of cleaning, the dry and wet mode as best illustrated in FIG. 18 in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/956,297; the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. In the dry mode, the nozzle assembly  62  and brush block assembly  216  are raised to allow pick up of large loose particles. In the wet mode the nozzle assembly  62  is lowered to collect the fluid and pick it up. Also, in the wet mode, the brush block assembly  216  can be lowered by a lifting lever  718  (FIG. 2), if desired, to scrub the floor. Both the nozzle assembly  62  and brush block assembly  216  are removable from the base assembly  44 . As best shown in FIG. 3, a hood or cover  172  snap fits onto the frame  52  and includes dry mode and wet mode openings or windows  174  and  176 , respectively, to inform the user that the hard floor cleaner is in either the dry mode or wet mode.  
         [0023]    As depicted in FIG. 2, the nozzle assembly  62  includes an elastomeric squeegee  66  attached around its inlet. The nozzle assembly  62  includes a pair of slide latches  110  on opposite sides of the nozzle assembly  62  for removably securing the nozzle assembly  62  to the frame  52 . When connecting the nozzle assembly  62  to the frame  52 , each slide latch  110  is first slid outwardly. The nozzle assembly  62  is then positioned forwardly adjacent the brush assembly  216  and the latches  110  are slid inwardly so that the tongue member  112  extends partially through a lateral channel  130  formed in the frame  52  thereby locking the nozzle assembly to the frame  52 . A brush block assembly  216  is removably secured to the base assembly  44  for agitating the surface to be clean.  
         [0024]    In particular, as depicted in FIGS. 5 through 7, the brush block assembly  216  comprises a rectilinear brush support member  218  having two front and two rear rows of bristle bundles  220  compressively inserted into blind bores located in the support member  218 . The rows are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush support member  218  and also oriented transversely to the cleaning path. The bristle bundles  220  project downwardly from the support member  218  for engagement with the cleaning surface.  
         [0025]    As best shown in FIG. 4, the support member  218  further includes a line of elongated slots  222  spaced longitudinally and disposed between the front and rear edges of the support member  218 . A dispensing bar  224  is integrally formed with the bottom of the support member  218 , underlying the bottom of slots  222 . The dispensing bar  224  includes a row of openings  226  for the passage of cleaning solution from the solution tank  43 . The openings  226  are aligned with the slots  222  for fluid communication therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the outlets of the openings  226  define downwardly extending nipples  228  formed on the bottom of the dispensing bar  224  to direct the cleaning solution downward and prevent it from adhering and spreading on the bottom of the dispensing bar  224 . An additional scrub strip  230  is adhesively mounted on the bottom of the support member forwardly adjacent the openings  226 .  
         [0026]    Together, the dispensing bar  224  and slots  222  define relatively deep compartments or troughs  232  (FIG. 6) in the support member  218 , which break up bubbles of cleaning solution that collects therein. The relatively wide troughs  232  also allow easy rinsing and cleaning of dirt in collected therein. As best depicted in FIG. 6, recessed channels  240  are disposed in the upper surface  238  of the support member  218  to direct the cleaning solution to flow into the troughs  232 . Integrally formed on the top surface  246  of the support member  218  are splash guards  236  that surround the channels  240  to prevent the cleaning solution from splashing out of the channels. Since the troughs  232  are spaced apart, the collecting of cleaning solution in one area is minimized in case of an error occurring in molding an uneven dispensing bar  224 . A pair of outwardly curved ribs  254 ,  256 , which define a handgrip, is attached on the top surface  246  of the support member near the front end. A nub  258  is formed at the forward end of each of the ribs  254 ,  256  for added grip support.  
         [0027]    A pair of locating hooks  242  is attached to the top surface of the support member and extends rearwardly. As best depicted in FIG. 7, the lateral free leg  244  of each hook  242  is slidably received into a horizontal pocket or channel  248  formed in the frame  52  of the base assembly  44 . The height of the pocket  248  is larger than that of the free leg  244  to allow room for the free leg  244  to move vertically and thereby allow the brush block assembly to float over irregular or uneven surfaces. With the brush block assembly so positioned, the nozzle assembly  62  abuts the front of the brush assembly  216  to secure the brush block assembly  216  to the frame  52 , thereby preventing the brush assembly  216  from sliding out of the pockets  248 . The hooks  242  also slidably engage upon the top of the distributor plate  250  at a position in which the outlets of the distributor plate  250  are aligned with the recessed channels  240 , as shown in FIG. 8, to direct the cleaning solution to flow from the outlets of the distributor plate  250  into the trough  232 . Two coil springs  252 , inserted around their associated downwardly depending projections  257  of the frame  52 , are positioned securely between the distributor plate  250  and frame to bias the brush block assembly  216  on the cleaning surface. Other suitable springs or biasing devices could be used such as, for example, a leaf spring  252  provided between the distributor plate  250  and frame  52  as depicted in FIG. 9.  
         [0028]    To remove the brush block assembly  216  from the floor cleaning unit  40 , a user slides the slide latches  110  of the nozzle assembly  62  outwardly and removes the nozzle assembly  62  to gain access to the brush block assembly  216 . The user then grasps the ribs  254 ,  256  of the handgrip with his thumb and finger and pulls forward to slide the hooks out of the pockets  248  of the frame  52 , thereby removing the brush block assembly  216  from the floor cleaning unit  40 . Because of the removable feature of the brush block assembly  216 , different types of brush assemblies can be interchangeably mounted to the frame  52 , such as, for example, one having soft bristles to scrub wood surfaces. Further, the dispensing bar can also be a separate piece rather than being integrally formed with the support member  246 .  
         [0029]    Further details of the floor cleaning unit  40  are disclosed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/956,297; the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The present invention has been described by way of example using the illustrated embodiment. Upon reviewing the detailed description and the appended drawings, various modifications and variations of the preferred embodiment will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. All such obvious modifications and variations are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention and of the claims appended hereto.  
         [0030]    In view of the above, it is intended that the present invention not be limited by the preceding disclosure of a preferred embodiment, but rather be limited only by the appended claims.