Abstract:
An improved wet vacuum is described which removes floor stripping chemicals and residual water left behind from a floor stripping machine. The vacuum system is portable, battery operated and houses a storage reservoir constrained via elastic straps on a rollable base. A vacuum box is operatively mounted to a motor and include moisture reduction features which reduce moisture accumulation in and around the motor via an adapted flow path and drain channel. A single lever and rear activated squeegee mechanism which is in fluid communication with the vacuum system is selectively lowered an raised for removing floor cleaning chemicals and/or other liquids from the surface of a floor. An interior mechanical brace assembly is also featured to prevent reservoir buckling from operative vacuum pressure. A simple control module is provided for operating and monitoring power for the system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to floor maintenance machines. More specifically, the invention is a wet vacuum for removing stripping chemicals and/or compounds from floors. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A variety of floor maintenance machines have been devised for restoring or cleaning and drying floors. In earlier designs, between the era of 1953 and 1967, in particular, cleaning and drying features of conventional floor maintenance devices were provided as separate or decoupled operative features. This was primarily due to the detrimental effects of moisture on the electrical components and the lack of available technology at the time to render the conventional devices operative as electrically coupled systems. The need for available on-board power as an independent power source also contributed as a secondary issue to the apparent lack of a technical remedy during this era. The following references describe floor maintenance devices which attempted to remedy this problem. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,277 issued to Belknap discloses a suction-operated device for scrubbing and drying floors. The structure of the device is particularly directed to a housing which is adapted to contain a specified amount of a selected liquid cleaner. The liquid cleaner is introduced into the housing through a filler opening formed in a top wall and adapted to be closed by a cap mounted on the top wall. 
     The rear section of the &#39;277 device has a bottom wall which is inclined upwardly with respect to the front section at an angle of 10 degrees and a scrubbing brush is secured against the bottom wall section adjacent the rear edge via mechanical screw fasteners anchored in flanges. The bristles of the brush project below the bottom edges of the flanges and are engaged with the floor surface to be cleaned by tilting the front side portion of the housing. The vacuum cleaning mechanism is inoperative during scrubbing to prevent moisture or liquid from entering the vacuum. Similar devices are described in U.S. Patents issued to Rosenberg (U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,082) and Sheler (U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,591) which operate based on the supply of alternating current (AC). Later models replaced fixed bristles with rotating cleaning brushes. 
     U.S. Patents issued to Collier (U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,051) and Waldhauser (U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,233) disclose cleaning machines which utilize a rotating cleaning brush. Of particular note, the patent issued to Collier discloses a brush which is housed within a casing having rear wheels and which is rotatably activated or driven via a set of drive belts which link the brush to a motor. At the front end of the housing adjacent the brush, a channel shaped nozzle shoe is mounted to the casing and is held in place by bolts and is sealed by a silicone sealant to prevent leakage therearound. A hose which is centrally located with respect to the casing and adapted to a channel formed therein is in communication with the nozzle through which spent cleaning fluid and dirt is vacuumed into a recovery tank not shown in the drawings. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,056 issued to Geyer discloses a scrubbing machine with a tracking squeegee. The machine has a body portion which is supported on a pair of drive wheels and a pair of pivotable casters. The squeegee is drawn by a principal arm and the location of the squeegee is controlled by a steering arm. The squeegee is pivotally connected to each arm, the arms being mounted to the underside of the body portion at two distinct pivoting locations. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,010 issued to Burgoon discloses a floor scrubber comprising a mechanism for automatically raising and lowering a squeegee assembly. The scrubber includes front wheels which are driven by a motor connected to the wheels via belts and pulleys when a moveable handle is manipulated. When the lever is directed forward the wheels are activated for forward motion and vice versa. The motor is connected to the wheels by friction discs when the handle is pulled to move the scrubber rearwardly. When the handle is pushed, the mechanism including a switch is operated to lower the squeegee assembly, and when the handle is pulled the mechanism and switch operates to raise the squeegee assembly. The lever for operating the squeegee is a spring-loaded mechanism. 
     Other U.S. and Foreign Patents respectively issued and granted to Hauge et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,246), Huffman et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,365), Suzuki (U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,260), Hoover (GB 855,613) and Pletenski (SU 248921) disclose conventional vacuum cleaning devices comprising squeegee features or water extraction devices of general relevance to the wet vacuum as herein described. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a wet vacuum solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The wet vacuum according to the invention is designed to remove floor stripping chemicals and residual water left behind from a floor stripping machine. The vacuum system is portable, battery operated and houses a storage reservoir constrained via a set of straps on a rollable base. A vacuum box is operatively mounted to a motor and includes moisture reduction features which reduce moisture accumulation in and around the motor via an adapted flow path and drain channel. A single lever and rear activated squeegee mechanism which is in fluid communication with the vacuum system is selectively lowered and raised for removing floor cleaning chemicals and/or other liquids from the surface of a floor. An interior mechanical brace assembly is also featured to prevent reservoir buckling from vacuum pressure. A simple control panel is mounted to the front face of the wet vacuum housing to monitor battery power and switch the system on or off, and has a conduit for recharging an internally housed direct current power source. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved wet vacuum for removing stripping chemicals and/or liquids from floors. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide an improved wet vacuum which alleviates moisture accumulation from the vacuum box to the motor or electrical components for extended life and use. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved wet vacuum which utilizes an interior reinforced reservoir mechanism which prevents buckling from vacuum pressure. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved wet vacuum which utilizes a combination sweep arm and tilt mechanism for selectively manipulating a squeegee without the need for spring loaded mechanisms. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a wet vacuum according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wet vacuum according to the invention, illustrating internal reservoir and vacuum pump features. 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the wet vacuum according to the invention, illustrating a drain hose storage and lock configuration. 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vacuum box assembly of the wet vacuum according to the invention, illustrating a squeegee and partial structural supports. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum box of the wet vacuum according to the invention, illustrating moisture and fluid reduction in the vacuum flow path. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the combination sweep arm and tilt mechanism for selectively manipulating a squeegee according to the invention. 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the squeegee hose adapter according to the invention. 
     FIG. 8 is cut-away perspective view of the reservoir, illustrating the reinforced interior reservoir mechanism according to the invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a control circuit diagram for the wet vacuum according to the invention. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is directed to an improved wet vacuum system for removing stripping chemicals C from wet floors. The preferred embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIGS. 1-3, and is generally referenced by numeral  10 . Other elemental features of the preferred embodiment  10  are further depicted in FIGS. 4-9. 
     As best seen in FIG. 1, the wet vacuum system  10  has a housing  12  mounted on a base support structure  14  having a respective front set of caster wheels  16 , and a rear set of fixed wheels  18  for portability of the unit  10 . The wheels  16  and  18  are caster-type wheels for rotation in any desired direction as indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 3 when the system  10  is wheeled about by a technician or user U. 
     As further shown in FIG. 1, the improved wet vacuum system  10 , includes a vacuum head assembly  20 , a lever mechanism  22  having a sweep arm  23  for manipulating the vacuum head assembly  20 , and a reservoir  24  (within housing  12  and shown in FIG. 2) for storing or retaining spanned stripping chemicals or compounds vacuumed from a work surface. 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2, an exploded view of the wet vacuum  10  is shown illustrating internal operative features, such as a the vacuum generating elements. The vacuum generating elements comprise a control circuit module  26   a  (shown schematically in FIG.  9 ), power source  26   b , motor  26   c  and a vacuum box  26   d  having a substantially inverted J-shaped baffle  31  disposed therein. As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum box  26   d  has at least one internal flow channel  28  which conveys and separates a vacuum pressurized fluid into air and liquid components so that the liquid component flows in a liquid path  30  through a drain  30   a  defined in the bottom wall of the vacuum box  26   d . Accordingly, the path  30  of the liquid component after separation from the mixture is substantially opposite to a flow path of air indicated by the arrows  32  to prevent liquid migration from the reservoir  24  to an electrical component of the system  10 . Notwithstanding, the flow path from the reservoir  24  to the vacuum box  26   d , designated by line  34  in FIG. 2, illustrates a fluid connection between the flow channel orifice  28   a  and an orifice  37  disposed within a top surface portion of the reservoir  24 . This fluid connection identified by line  34  is a primary vacuum flow channel which regulates the effective flow rate for the entire system  10 . Within the orifice  28   a  is also a screen-covered check-ball-valve (not shown) which is mounted with the screen facing in a direction towards the bottom of the reservoir  24  and mounted to form an interface with the tubing  37  via orifice  28   a . The check ball valve mechanism is a conventional feature which serves as a primary measure to prevent accumulated chemicals or liquid contained in the reservoir  24  from flowing into the internal flow channel  28  thereby causing a potential for short circuiting the vacuum system  10 . 
     The reservoir  24  is a substantially rectangular reservoir  24  having respective first, second, third and fourth fluid flow orifice  28   a ,  28   b ,  28   c  and  28   d . The first fluid orifice  28   a  is in fluid connection with at least one fluid flow channel  28  via a flow tubing or hose  37 . This channel is a primary fluid flow channel of vacuum pressurized fluid. The second fluid flow orifice  28   b  is in fluid connection with the vacuum head assembly  20  via a flow tube  38 . 
     The third fluid flow orifice  28   c  is a combination fluid supply and passage orifice for installing and adjusting a reservoir reinforcement mechanism, diagrammatically illustrated in FIG.  8 . The orifice  28   c  is disposed in a top portion of the reservoir  24 , and is a threaded orifice which includes a mating cap  29  having internal threads for attaching to and sealing the third orifice  28   c . The cap  29  protrudes from the housing  12  via a first circular aperture  40  disposed in a central portion of the top wall of the housing  12  for insertably receiving the cap  29  secured to the threaded orifice  28   c . This is better shown in FIG.  3 . The housing  12  further includes at least one recessed aperture  42  in the top wall of the housing as a storage aperture for beverages, mechanical fasteners, etc. Disposed adjacent to the storage aperture  42  in the housing  12  is a control panel  44  for mounting a control module  46  which provides a on/off switch  46   a , battery power meter  46   b , a battery recharging adapter module  46   c , an indicator light  46   d  and at least one fuse housing or circuit breaker  46   e  (schematically illustrated in FIG.  9 ). 
     Disposed in the rear wall of the housing is a substantially circular aperture  48  having a arcuate lip portion  48   a  for insertably receiving and retaining a vacuum head hose  38  adapted for connection with the vacuum head assembly  20  via a suction port  50 . The suction port  50  is fixedly mounted to a central portion  20   a  of the vacuum assembly  20 . The housing  12  further comprises a bracket  52  and bucket  54  assembly mounted adjacent to the aperture  48  for storing removed floor deposits therein. The bracket  52  is secured to a wall portion of the housing  12  via mechanical fasteners, and includes a second aperture  52   a  for insertably storing a scraping tool  56  for removing deposits from the surface of a work floor or space. 
     A first and second rectangular recess  60  and  62  are disposed at a lower edge portion  12   a  of the rear wall of the housing. Each recess  60  and  62  insertably rests on the base support structure  14  at respective first and second protruding or cantilevered mount support structures  64  and  66  which are welded to the base structure  14 . Each cantilevered support structure  64  and  66  terminates with respective solid cylindrical studs  64   a  and  66   a  of predetermined dimensions for insertable attachment with a substantially U-shaped cylindrical handle  70  via first and second hollow ends  72  and  74  which slide onto studs  64   a  and  66   a  as a male and female mechanical attachment. 
     A third rectangular recess  63  is formed contiguous with an edge portion  44   a  of the control panel  44  for insertably receiving and retaining a lever mechanism  22  therethrough for operatively manipulating the vacuum head assembly  20  via a sweep arm  23  as more clearly illustrated in FIG. 6, and further described below. It is noted that the fourth fluid orifice  28   d  is fluidly connected to a drain hose  39  for draining the stripping chemicals collected from the reservoir  24 . This particular feature is more clearly shown in FIG.  8 . 
     The base  14  of the wet vacuum system  10  is a substantially U-shaped rollable base  14  having at least one means or guide plate  90  mounted at the base of the U-shaped base  14  for mounting at least one direct current power source or battery  26   b . The guide plate(s)  90  will serve to secure the power source  26   b  thereon without battery translation when the system  10  is in use. It is noted that the handle  70  is removable from the studs  64   a  and  66   a  via an upward or vertical force applied at a central point P along the handle  70  for complete removal therefrom. As shown in FIG. 2, the handle  70  is a substantially U-shaped cylindrical handle. Ends  72  and  74  respectively slide onto respective studs  64   a  and  66   a  to form a friction fit as a male and female attachment. Adjacent thereto and extending substantially the same width as the U-shaped handle is the power supply  26   b  comprising batteries (such as lead acid or gel cell batteries) of predetermined voltage for running the circuit control module  46  and vacuum motor  26   c  according to the invention. A modular power line connector  47  connects to the control module  46  to provide operative power for the wet vacuum system  10 . 
     To accommodate the reservoir  24 , the base  14  provides a respective first and second support surface  14   a  and  14   b  for supporting and retaining the reservoir  24  thereon. The addition of support studs or blocks  100 , mounted to an interior portion of the respective first and second portions  14   a  and  14   b  of the base  14  near the front wheels  16  and near the rear wheels  18 , provide support reinforcement for the reservoir  24 . A series of reservoir right angle guide plates  102  are respectively mounted at spaced intervals along surface portions  14   a  and  14   b  to retain the reservoir therein without undue translation or movement. Each support stud  100  is preferably welded to the base  14  to for a single steel structural frame. Other materials such as composite metals and plastic or matrix of such materials thereof can be used depending on the loading capacity and degree of durability desired. Thus, material and dimensional features are not described, since such is considered to be well within the skill of one having ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
     Additional measures for securing the reservoir to the base are made by the use of a first and second strap  104  and  106 . Each strap  104  and  106  has a predetermined elasticity or stretch length for adjustability. Each end of the straps  104  and  106  include a respective first and second hooks  104   a ,  104   b  and  106   a ,  106   b , respectively for attachment to the base  14 . Each respective hook  104   a , 104   b  and  106   a , 106   b  (symmetric with  104   b  in FIG. 3) of the respective straps  104  and  106  are attached to at least one circular ring  110  mounted on both surfaces  14   a  and  14   b  at equally spaced intervals and in sequence for retaining the reservoir  12  thereon. 
     As diagrammatically, illustrated in FIG. 3, the wet vacuum system  10  is shown according to a front perspective view, illustrating a retaining means or hook  80  for retaining the drain channel or hose  39  in a stored configuration. At the end  39   a  of the hose  39  there is disposed control valve  82  which prevents free flow of fluid from the reservoir  12 . A substantially L-shaped hose mount  84  is welded to the base  14  at end  84   a . The free end  84   b  has a bifurcated spring clamp  86  for releasably and frictionally securing the control valve end of the hose  39  thereto. Arrows R also identify rotation directions of the front wheels  16 . 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4, exploded features of the vacuum box  26   d  are illustrated to reveal the internal baffle  31  which partially governs the fluid separation process of air and liquid therein through the flow path channel  28 . The baffle  31  as shown therein is substantially V-shaped, except that the base  31   a  of the baffle  31  is substantially planar having a predetermined slope for preventing the flow of liquid to the motor  26   c  or any electrical component connected therewith. The vacuum motor  26   c  is mounted to the vacuum box  26   d  through a single central aperture  33   a  defined in plate  33 . The base  31   b  of the vacuum box  26   d  has a predetermined downward slope to induce by the force of gravity liquid separation from a mixture of air and liquid and subsequent drainage via a liquid flow channel  41 . The liquid flow channel or hose  41  is shown attached to the sloping base portion  31   b  at a point of maximum descent D via a mechanical threaded fastener or adapter means  41   a  at the base  31   b  and is fastened to a crossbar  14   c  mounted or welded between surface portions  14   a  and  14   b  and adjacent to at least one of the support studs  100  via fasteners or adapter means  41   b . Liquid drains freely to the work space or floor from the hose  41 . The mechanical attachment is made to prevent leaking via conventional sealing techniques such as the use of teflon tape, etc. 
     The lever mechanism  22  is also shown therein and is preferably a six-bar-linkage mechanism which activates a rotatable support plate  200  for selectively lifting and lowering the sweep arm  23  which is pivotally attached to an under portion of the crossbar  14   c . The support plate is pivotally secured at first and second ends  202  and  204  via respective first and second mounting plates  210  and  212  fixedly attached to an under portion of the base  14  via welds. The operative feature of the sweep arm  23  enables the vacuum head  20  to traverse a substantially arcuate path of motion (i.e. from left to right). This sweeping motion and the attachment of the sweep arm  23  is more clearly illustrated in FIG.  6 . As shown therein the sweep arm  23  is elevated when the lever mechanism  22  lifted vertically thereby causing a lifting force by the plate  200  to be transmitted to the sweep arm  23  for selectively raising the vacuum head  20  attached thereto and vice versa as indicated by the by the phantom lines L. 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 5, a cross-section of the vacuum box  26   d  is shown for more clearly illustrating the fluid mixture separation process. As shown therein an influx of fluid mixture F enters the vacuum box  26   d  via at least one internal flow channel  28 . As the mixture flows through the box  26   d , the liquid separates from the air by gravity and flows in a liquid path  30  which terminates via a flow channel  31  in the downward sloping bottom wall  31   b  of the vacuum box  26   d . The vacuum supplied by the motor  26   c  causes the air to be drawn upward around baffle  31   a  and through aperture  33   a , exiting through the vacuum motor  26   c  exhaust (not shown). Accordingly, the path  30  taken by liquid after separation from the mixture is substantially opposite to a flow path of air indicated by the arrows  32  to prevent liquid migration from the reservoir  24  to an electrical component of the vacuum motor  26   c . The liquid is subsequently drained away from the vacuum box  26   d  via hose  41  which is mechanically and fluidly sealed thereto. 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 7, the arm  23  is shown having vacuum head attachment plate  23   a  perpendicular thereto with first and second apertures  23   b  and  23   c  disposed therein for mechanical attachment with a support plate  300 . The support plate  300  includes a semi-circular aperture  302  centrally disposed therein for insertably mounting the hose  38  therein. The suction port  50  is mounted on guide baffle  306 , which makes a fluid tight seal with a diamond shaped squeegee  308  of predetermined length. The squeegee  308  is enclosed by squeegee support plate  310  having a substantially rectangular aperture  310   a  centrally disposed therein. Each vacuum head element  300 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310  is mechanically secured to form a vacuum tight vacuum head assembly  20  around the suction port  50 . 
     As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 8, the reservoir  24  is shown to further comprise an interior reinforced reservoir mechanism  400  which prevents reservoir  24  from buckling due to vacuum pressure. The mechanism  400  comprises a first threadedly adjustable rod  402  with first and second planar ends  404  and  406  for mating and frictionally attaching to a first  408  and second interior wall portion (not shown because of the cut-away view) of the reservoir  24 . A second threadedly adjustable rod  410  with first and second planar ends  412  and  414  is also shown for mating and frictionally attaching to a third  416  and fourth interior wall portion (not shown for similar reasons recited above) of the reservoir  24 . The first and second rods  402 ,  410  are coupled via a bracket  420  as a single integrated reinforced mechanism  400 . The mechanism  400  is adjustable in length via extension and/or contraction via a turnbuckle  430  having internal threads for adjusting each respective rod  402  and  410 . The significant feature of this mechanism is that it prevents implosion or collapse of the reservoir from the vacuum produced cyclic stresses. 
     FIG. 9 is a wire diagram of the control module or circuit  46  for controlling on/off switch features via element  46   a , monitoring battery power via an analog or digital element  46   b  and for externally supplying a battery recharging unit to the system  10  via battery charging unit  46   c  for extended use or reuse. Other features such a fuse housing  46   e  or light monitor  46   d  can be used to visually indicate power activation and/or power failure. When completely assembled, the housing  12 , reservoir  24 , vacuum system, manipulating means  22  and vacuum head assembly  20  forms a single integrated wet vacuum system which is simple to use and manipulate. Other unique features include constructing the housing  12  of a metallic material having a polyurethane or similar outer coating to prevent rust and corrosion. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.