Patent Publication Number: US-7210185-B2

Title: Floor cleaning device with motorized vibratory head

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/430,721, filed Dec. 3, 2002. 
   STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to cleaning implements, and in particular to powered devices for cleaning hard surfaces, such as wood and vinyl floors commonly found in homes and/or residential living quarters. 
   Household cleaning materials are well known, as is their use with cleaning pads. Powered devices have been developed to make easier the process of applying such materials, and to improve cleaning efficacy of heavily soiled surfaces. Several such devices comprise electrically powered hand-held apparatus. Some of such devices involve linear reciprocal motion and/or orbital motion of cleaning pads or sponges. Each of these powered devices generally includes a housing containing a drive motor with a rotating shaft that either rotates or reciprocates (in a straight horizontal or orbital path) a cleaning head, via suitable coupling between the rotating, vertically oriented, drive shaft and the cleaning head. 
   Some devices involve attached replaceable cleaning pads to the cleaning head, for example, using hook and loop attachments, such as Velcro® brand fasteners (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,405). 
   Other devices employ separately contained cleaning/polishing compounds applied to the cleaning head or directly to the surface being cleaned. Still others incorporate such compounds within the device or within the pads, for example, by pre-impregnating pads that are attached to the heads. However, there is no known powered cleaning device with a mop-styled handle, which utilizes the combination of dual motored, induced direct up and down, i.e. vertical plane oriented, vibration to enhance efficacy of the cleaning agents and/or cleaning pads secured to mop heads. 
   Accordingly, such an improved powered cleaning device would be useful, particularly for cleaning hard surfaced floors. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one described embodiment, the invention provides a powered cleaning device with a mop-style handle, having dual motors with associated vibration units mounted on opposed lateral portions of a mop head. The mop head is secured to the bottom of the mop handle, and the handle is attached to the mop head housing via a flexible oscillatory yoke. Drive shafts extend horizontally from motors which, in one embodiment, are mounted internally within the head. The motor shafts are affixed to rotary driven shafts having eccentric weights that impart substantially vertical vibrations to the head housing. The housing is thereby induced to vibrate up and down with respect to a floor over which the device is being operated, whenever the motors are actuated. As part of the overall cleaning device structure, a fluid cleaning composition is dispensed to the floor surface via a fluid canister actuated by a handle-mounted trigger spray mechanism. 
   In one described form the fluid cleaning composition is carried in an aerosol can, and its dispersal is triggered by and from the mop handle. Alternatively, the fluid cleaning composition may be carried in a fluid bottle with a similarly actuated trigger spray mechanism. 
   Another embodiment of the invention provides a mop handled powered cleaning implement with dual motors for generating counteracting vibratory cleaning capability, wherein each laterally spaced vibratory unit operates out of phase or non-synchronously with respect to the other. For this purpose, each vibratory unit is eccentrically coupled to its respective motor drive shaft so that when a horizontal driven shaft (of the vibratory unit) is rotated the mop head vibrates in a generally vertical or up and down fashion with respect to the floor. The result is a non-synchronized mode of operation, wherein each lateral head portion or side moves in a back-and-forth oscillatory motion about the mop head yoke, thus inducing a side-to-side slapping motion of mop head on the floor. 
   In one envisioned embodiment, the vibratory units, as well as the motors are separate, and each is detachable from the housing head. In addition, the vibratory units and motors are situated atop of the head, separate and distinct from removable cleaning pads adapted to be fixed to the bottom of the head. 
   In the several forms described, the apparatus is powered by batteries that may be rechargeable, and that are disposed in or atop of the head housing. At least one power switch is electrically coupled between respective batteries and motors, with only one switch being normally preferred, even for dual motored systems. The single “on-off” switch is actuated by foot for manufacturing simplicity. Moreover, the motors are each adapted to reciprocate the housing head within a speed range that falls between 500 and 8,500 cycles per minute. 
   The head housing ideally comprises a substantially rigid body. As a result, it is feasible to control, including dampen, levels of vibration otherwise imparted to both the cleaning apparatus including its handle. A layer (or layers) of foam can be interposed between the head (containing the vibrating mechanism) and the handle for this purpose. 
   The cleaning pad contemplated herein can include woven or non-woven materials, including cloth, micro-fibers, rubbers, and polymers. Cleaning pad materials having bristles or foam rubber-like characteristics are also potentially feasible. Various surface treatment compositions can employ any room temperature physical state including liquid, gel, paste, solid and granular. Such surface treatment compositions are preferably cleansers or polishes, or any of surfactants, solvents, chelants, biocides, builders, abrasives, polymers, pH adjusters, bleaches, waxes, silicones, fluorocarbons, perfumes and dyes. Depending on a particular embodiment, the surface treatment composition can be applied directly to the cleaning device, or can alternatively be applied directly to the floor. 
   These and other features of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and the drawings presented herewith, as representative of several currently envisioned embodiments of the present invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. (“FIG.”)  1  is a perspective view of a mop handled, powered cleaning/polishing device according to the present invention, some of the interior components shown partially in phantom. 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the mop head of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of one vibratory unit and its associated electric motor, revealing details of drive and driven shafts, and the eccentric weights affixed thereto, in one described embodiment. 
       FIG. 4  is an elevation view of an alternate embodiment, wherein vibratory units, motors, and batteries are fixed externally, i.e. to the upper exterior surface, of the mop head housing. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
   The present invention provides a manual handle-operated motorized device designed for cleaning and/or scrubbing of hard floor surfaces such as found in kitchens and bathrooms, wherein the floors are more often susceptible to caked-on food, dirt, mildew, and or other stubborn cleaning issues. It should be noted that the described device is not necessarily limited to cleaning, but may also be used for buffing and or polishing, or other treatment of hard floor surfaces. Thus, the inventive device is also capable of performing a variety of non-cleaning functions even though the various features and components of the inventive device are specifically discussed herein solely within the context of cleaning. As such, it is to be observed that there is no intentional effort herein to exclude suitability or desirability of non-cleaning applications with respect to the inventive device described. 
   Additionally, the terms “vibrate” and “reciprocate” are used interchangeably herein, and mean back and forth or oscillatory motion, either along a relatively straight line or in a substantially straight path. 
   Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a powered cleaning device  10  is constructed in accordance with the herein-described invention. The device  10  has a head  12  that is preferably made of a rigid plastic (instead of metal) for optimizing cleaning efficacy and economy. The head  12  defines a head housing  14  that is secured to a manually operated handle  16  (also a plastic part) via an attachment yoke  18 . Optionally, a foam or cushion layer (not shown) may be interposed between the attachment yoke  18  and the housing  14  to assure insulation and or dampening of vibrations between the housing and handle. 
   An ergonomically designed trigger portion  20  is situated at the end of the handle opposite the head  12 . A contoured hand grip  22  of the trigger portion  20  is also formed of plastic, and is adapted to facilitate grasping of the device with either hand during use. The hand grip  22  contains a spring-loaded trigger mechanism  24  as part of a system designed to actuate an aerosol canister  26 . The canister  26  contains a cleaning solution adapted to be sprayed out of a nozzle (not shown) situated in the canister end  19 . The canister  26  may be latched or otherwise fixed into place within a canister holder  28 . 
   The head  12  has an elongated lateral dimension greater than its front to rear dimension. As such, distinctive left and right half portions  9  and  11  define lateral sides of the head  12 , respectively positioned on either side of the attachment yoke  18 . 
   The head housing  14  contains the power and drive components (discussed below), supporting the components within and to its interior body. The housing  14  has an opening (not shown) for a power socket to recharge batteries, a foot-operated power switch  36 , and openings (none shown) for the removal and changing of defective components. 
   Referring next to  FIG. 2 , a more detailed view of internal components contained within the head  12  is provided. Left and right half portions  9  and  11  are virtual mirror images of each other, and share like numbered components distinguished only by primes. Thus, each vibratory unit  30  is coupled directly to and driven by an electric motor  32 . The electric motors are powered by batteries  34  (which may or may not be rechargeable), and are actuated by the foot-operated switch  36 . Hardwired electrical circuitry (not shown) connects all of the described actuated components. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the switch  36  is interposed between the motors  32  and batteries  34 , and operates to open and close, i.e. to “switch”, an electrical circuit running between the latter components. 
   In operation, the motors of the cleaning device  10  are switched on via the on-off switch  36 . In a first mode of operation, the motors  34  will rotated at virtually equal speeds. The ultimate objective is to enhance cleaning efficacy of the cleaning pad  40 . However, in a second mode of operation, a non-synchronous speed switch  38  ( FIG. 1 ), situated on the trigger portion  20  of the mop handle  16 , causes the motors to operate at different speeds in a manner that a beat frequency is created. This phenomenon operates to induce an oscillatory back-and-forth vibratory motion of the head  12  about the mop head attachment yoke  18 , inducing a side-to-side slapping motion of mop head  12  against a floor surface to further enhance efficacy of cleaning in particularly difficult cleaning circumstances. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a more detailed view of the vibratory unit  30  and electric motor  32  is presented. It will be appreciated that both the vibratory unit  30  and electric motor  32  are secured to a floor  42  of the head housing  14 . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , it will also be appreciated that the cleaning pad  40  is removably secured to bottom side of the same floor  42 . A set of windings  33  contained within the motor encircles a motor drive shaft  44 ′ coupled to a driven shaft  44 . Excitation of the windings produces rotation of the motor shaft  44 ′, and because the shafts are coupled together by mating flanges  46 ,  46 ′, the shafts rotate about a common centerline a—a oriented parallel to the floor  42 . In the described embodiment, the shafts are secured together by a plurality of fastening members  47 , and are supported on bearings  48  and  50 , as shown. Also, in the environment described, the two mating flanges  46  of the driven and drive shafts  44  together form an eccentric weight  46  adapted to rotate with the shafts  44  to produce the desired vibration. 
   Finally, an additional embodiment of the head  12 ′ is depicted in  FIG. 4 . The vibratory units  30 , electric motors  32 , and the batteries  34  are all situated atop of a modified housing  14 ′. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this version represents a substantially economical approach relative to the versions already described. To the extent that all of the components are exposed, it is suggested that they be encapsulated with a type of vinyl or thin molded plastic covering, even transparent if desired, to protect the electrical component parts from an otherwise inevitable intrusion of cleaning solution moisture. It will also be noted that in this version the wires  31  are external or uncovered as well, and would thus also be desirably insulated or sealed against intrusion of moisture. 
   It will be appreciated that the various described embodiments of the invention are merely examples of currently envisioned constructions. Numerous modifications and or variations of the described embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and may fall within the spirit and scope of the as-claimed invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited only to the described embodiments. 
   INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
   The invention provides an improved powered cleaning device.