Patent Publication Number: US-2009223014-A1

Title: Gum removal tool

Description:
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION 
     Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119, the benefit of priority from provisional application 61/068,775, with a filing date of Mar. 10, 2008, is claimed for this non-provisional application. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to pressure washing tools, and more particularly to a pressure washing tool used with a pressure washing system to facilitate gum removal from a hard surface. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The cleaning of hard surfaces (e.g., concrete, asphalt, aggregate, etc.) is an issue for cities/municipalities, businesses, and the military. Cities/municipalities need to clean their streets, sidewalks and parking lots. Businesses need to clean their hard-floor warehouses and factories, as well as their sidewalks and parking lots. The military needs to maintain the cleanliness of its posts/bases, to include airstrips and tarmacs. 
     Over time, all of the above-noted surfaces get stained from a variety of natural and man-made substances. Most of the man-made substances are dried liquids that drip or are spilled onto one of the surfaces. For example, engine/transmission oil, gasoline and anti-freeze top the list of vehicle “droppings” that stain a hard surface. Spills of these and other products (e.g., paints, chemicals, food, drinks, etc.) add to the staining of a surface. The cleaning of dried-liquid stains from a hard surface has improved in recent years with the development of a variety of pressure cleaning and wastewater reclamation systems. 
     However, there remains one type of surface “stain” that modern cleaning apparatus cannot clean/remove. Specifically, gum and gum-like materials dropped, pressed and dried/hardened on a hard surface survive conventional hard-surface cleaning. Further, after a hard surface is cleaned, the remaining dark blotches of hardened gum or gum-like materials are highlighted as blights on the freshly-cleaned surface. 
     Conventional approaches for removing gum or gum-like materials from a hard surface involve some type of manual or mechanized scraping. However, this is labor intensive and not completely effective since most hard surfaces have some degree of texture that greatly increases the amount of surface area to which the gum material can adhere. As a result, scraping of a dried gum or gum-like material “blotch” tends to only remove a top layer of the gum while leaving the rest of the gum embedded in the surface texture. The remaining embedded gum quickly darkens and again appears as a stain on the surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that completely removes gum or gum-like material blotches from a hard surface. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a gum removal apparatus that can be used with existing surface cleaning systems. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a gum removal apparatus that is easily maneuvered by an operator on a surface to be cleaned. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a gum removal tool includes a rigid housing having an open end. The housing defines a chamber. A turbo nozzle is mounted in the chamber with its output end facing the open end of the housing. A high-pressure water supply can be coupled to the turbo nozzle. The open end of the housing has structures/devices coupled thereto for supporting movement of the housing on a surface as well as movement of air therethrough. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments and to the drawings, wherein corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a part schematic, part cross-sectional view of a gum removal tool in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a gum removal tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a gum removal tool in accordance with the present invention is shown and is referenced generally by numeral  10 . Gum removal tool  10  is illustrated partly in cross-section and partly in a schematic fashion in order to clearly depict the important novel features of the present invention. As will be explained further below, gum removal tool  10  is designed to operate using (i) a supply of hot water at high pressure, and (ii) a vacuum. Accordingly, a high-pressure hot water source  100  and vacuum source  102  are illustrated as cooperating with tool  10 . It is to be understood that sources  100  and  102  can be independent of one another or can be combined in a “cleaning system” without departing from the scope of the present invention. That is, the particular type of nature of sources  100  and  102  are not limitations of the present invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that gum removal tool  10  can, but need not, include sources  100  and  102  and the controls therefor. 
     Gum removal tool  10  has a rigid outer housing  12  that defines an interior chamber  14  terminating at an open end  12 A of housing  12  where open end  12 A defines an annular perimeter of housing  12 . Rigidly suspended within chamber  14  is a turbo nozzle  16  capable of generating a rotating conical spray of high-pressure water where the conical spray is referenced by dashed lines  18  and the rotational aspect of the spray is referenced by rotational arrow  20 . In terms of the present invention, turbo nozzle  16  should be capable of delivering at least approximately 4 gallons per minute (GPM) at a pressure between approximately 3000-4000 pounds per square inch (PSI). Further, turbo nozzle  16  should be capable of handling high-temperature water (e.g., possibly up to 200° F.). A variety of such turbo nozzles are available commercially. 
     Turbo nozzle  16  is suspended vertically within chamber  14  such that its output face  16 A opposes and is spaced-apart from a surface  200  with output face  16 A being approximately parallel to surface  200  when gum removal tool  10  is placed on surface  200 . The vertical suspension of turbo nozzle  16  in chamber  14  is typically accomplished by a rigid water supply line  22  affixed to housing  12  and coupled to turbo nozzle  16 . Supply line  22  is rigidly supported by housing  12  and terminates outside housing  12  in a coupling  24  to which high-pressure hot water source  100  is coupled. 
     Housing  12  is also provided with a port  26  to which vacuum source  102  can be coupled. As will be explained further below, water source  100  and vacuum source  102  will be operated simultaneously when using gum removal tool  10 . Accordingly, vacuum port  26  should be positioned such that conical spray  18  (output from turbo nozzle  16 ) is not disturbed by the vacuum. To assure this, vacuum port  26  is typically positioned at a location that is above output face  16 A of turbo nozzle  16  when gum removal tool  10  is placed on surface  200 . 
     Mounted to the bottom open end  12 A of housing  12  is a transport and vacuum throughput system  28  that provides a variety of functions for gum removal tool  10 . System  28  provides a stable support for housing  12  and the various components mounted thereto where such stability is needed due to the high-pressure water provided to tool  10 . In addition, system  28  facilitates movement of tool  10  on surface  200  since a typical gum cleaning operation will require continual re-positioning of tool  10  to gummed areas of surface  200 . Still further, system  28  forms an extension of interior chamber  14  while providing for the passage of air (i.e., from outside of housing  12  into chamber  14 ) when vacuum source  102  applies vacuum pressure to vacuum port  26 . Finally, system  28  must provide all of the above functions while being able to withstand long-term use and movement on rough textured surfaces such as surface  200 . 
     In general, when a gum blotch  202  is to be cleaned from surface  200 , gum removal tool  10  is positioned such that transport and vacuum throughput system  28  rests on surface  200  over gum blotch  202 . As mentioned above, sources  100  and  102  are operated simultaneously. The combined heat/pressure of conical spray  18  along with the application of vacuum to chamber  14  causes gum blotch  202  to release from surface  200 . The simultaneously-applied vacuum exhausts the wastewater and loosened gum blotch  202  from chamber  14 . 
     The simultaneous operation of sources  100  and  102  can be achieved in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, if vacuum source  102  is to be left on continuously during a cleaning operation, a trigger controller  104  (e.g., a trigger gun as it is known) could be coupled to just source  100  to generate a single, user-controlled on-demand trigger signal  106  used to activate source  100  once gun removal tool  10  was in place. However, the present invention is not so limited as trigger controller  104  can be one or more of a variety of controllers that can cause the simultaneous on-demand operation of both sources  100  and  102  where the simultaneous operation of source  102  is indicated by a dashed signal line. Since high-pressure water delivery (and, optionally, vacuum) is controlled in an on-demand fashion, a user can easily manipulate and position gum removal tool  10  on surface  200  and then activate it only after proper positioning of tool  10 . In tests of the present invention, it has been found that gum removal tool  10  need only be on-site over a gum blotch for 1-2 seconds to remove most gum blotches. Thus, gum removal tool  10  generates a minimal amount of wastewater during the use thereof. 
     By way of example, a specific embodiment of the gum removal tool of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 2  and is referenced generally by numeral  50 . Gum removal tool  50  has a rigid two-piece housing  52  defined by an open-tube cylindrical portion  52 A and a cap  52 B attachable to cylindrical portion  52 A in a sealed fashion by, for example, threads  52 C. While the exact dimensions of housing  52  are not limitations of the present invention, the inner diameter thereof is typically 3-4 inches so that tool  50  can cover the outer boundaries of most gum blotches, yet be small enough to focus the simultaneously-applied conical spray and vacuum to a gum blotch. Further, the relatively small size of housing  52  facilitates the manipulation of tool  50  by an operator. 
     Housing  52  defines an interior chamber  54  in which a turbo nozzle  56  is centrally suspended therein. Turbo nozzle  56  is similar to turbo nozzle  16  described above in that turbo nozzle  56  outputs a conical spray  18  that rotates about the center line of the conical spray as indicated by rotational arrow  20 . Turbo nozzle  56  is suspended in chamber  54  by a rigid water supply line  22  that attaches to a high-pressure coupling  60  mounted in cap  52 B. Attached to the other end of coupling  60  is a high-pressure swivel coupling  62  that can rotate in at least two dimensions as indicated by rotational arrow  64  while providing for the flow of high-pressure fluid therethrough. Typically, swivel coupling  62  defines a first conduit  62 A coupled to coupling  60 , a swiveling conduit  62 B coupled to conduit  62 A, and a second conduit  62 C coupled to swiveling conduit  62 B such that second conduit  62 C can pivot as indicated by directional arrow  64 . Swivel coupling  62  can include the means (not shown) to fix the position of swiveling conduit  62 B if desired. Coupled to swivel coupling  62  is an in-line filter  66  that removes debris from the high-pressure water supplied by source  100  coupled to filter  66 . Since an operator usually holds a water supply line (not shown) that connects source  100  to filter  66 , swivel coupling  62  simplifies manipulation of tool  50  as the angle of the water supply line can be adjusted for user comfort. 
     A vacuum port  68  is formed integrally with cylindrical portion  52 A of housing  52 . Similar to vacuum port  26  ( FIG. 1 ) described above, vacuum port  68  is located above the output face of turbo nozzle  56 . In the illustrated embodiment, vacuum port  68  is a rigid cylindrical sleeve extending radially out from cylindrical portion  52 A to provide a mounting point for a hose (not shown) leading to vacuum source  102 . 
     The above-described transport and vacuum throughput system  28  ( FIG. 1 ) for tool  50  is provided by (i) an annular plate  70  disposed about and coupled to cylindrical portion  52 A, (ii) a plurality (i.e., two or more) of vertically-adjustable, swiveling wheels  72  coupled to plate  70 , and (iii) a curtain that is porous with respect to air (e.g., an annular brush  74 , or any other flexible curtain-like structure through which air can pass) and that is coupled to the annular end of cylindrical portion  52 A that is in axial opposition to cap  52 B. 
     Plate  70  is rigidly coupled to housing  52  and defines a mounting platform for swiveling wheels  72 . That is, tool  50  is made stable by radially displacing swiveling wheels  72  away from housing  52  as provided by plate  70 . The swiveling feature of wheels  72  facilitates the movement of tool  50  on surface  200 . Plate  70  and wheels  72  can be disposed about housing  52  in a variety of geometric configurations (e.g., triangle, square, circle, etc.) without departing from the scope of the present invention. Plate  70  and each of swiveling wheels  72  are typically configured for vertical adjustment relative to plate  70  as indicated by two-headed arrow  71 . The particular construction of plate  70  and/or wheels  72  for achieving vertical adjustment  71  are not limitations of the present invention. Further, plate  70  could be replaced by individual support arms extending radially out from housing  52  without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Annular brush  74  is typically constructed from a plurality of bristles that essentially define an annular porous “curtain”. Annular brush  74  forms an extension of cylindrical portion  52 A for contact with surface  200  when placed thereon. To assure such contact, the vertical height of swivel wheels  72  is adjusted so that the bottom of the bristles defining brush  74  rest on surface  200 . Brush  74  allows tool  50  to be readily moved about surface  200  since it will flex as tool  50  is moved. Further, the porous nature of brush  74  defines an annular entry for air to flow into chamber  54  when vacuum source  102  is activated. Still further, brush  74  acts as a filter to keep outside debris from entering chamber  54  when vacuum source  102  is activated. As the bristles of brush  74  wear down, wheels  72  can be adjusted vertically to maintain sufficient contact between the bottom of brush  74  and surface  200 . 
     The advantages of the present invention are numerous. The gum removal tool greatly simplifies the removal of gum blotches from hard surfaces even when the hard surfaces are rough. The tool is readily attached to existing pressure washing systems. The tool removes all of a gum blotch without any scraping and simultaneously removes the wastewater generated during the gum removal. The tool is completely effective in a very brief period of time thereby minimizing the use of water and generation of wastewater. 
     Although the invention has been described relative to specific embodiments thereof, there are numerous variations and modifications that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. For example, while the gum removal tool of the present invention can be used as a stand alone device/system as described herein, it could also be incorporated into a larger head or deck associated with a conventional surface cleaning system. In such cases, the gum removal tool&#39;s housing and its supported turbo nozzle could be incorporated into the larger head/deck. High-pressure water could be supplied to the turbo nozzle on an “as needed” basis as the larger head/deck was maneuvered over a surface to be cleaned. The larger head/deck would serve as the afore-described transport and vacuum throughput system  28  ( FIG. 1 ). A vacuum port  26  ( FIG. 1 ) could be provided in the tool&#39;s housing as described above. Alternatively, the housing&#39;s vacuum port could be eliminated if vacuum features of the larger head/deck can be utilized to retrieve the wastewater generated by the gum removal operation. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.