Patent Publication Number: US-7222632-B2

Title: Public convenience equipped with a floor cleaning device

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The invention relates to the cleaning of public conveniences. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In order to increase hygiene of a public convenience, it is known since quite some time to clean its floor in an automatic and regular way, e.g. after each utilization thereof. 
     The purpose is not limited to washing the floor from footprints and possible splashes resulting from the utilization of the toilet. It is also directed to clear the floor from encumbering garbage (paper, newspapers, cans, etc.). 
     The applicant proposed few years ago an installation for dispensing water on the floor, for cleaning a sanitary unit. 
     This installation, which is disclosed in European patent application published under number EP-A-0 645 499, dispenses water on the floor by means of a nozzle, the water being recycled through a collecting tank. 
     Although such an installation is satisfactory, for it reduces water, consumption, the inventors have decided to further improve the quality of cleaning. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     To this end, the invention provides a convenience comprising a frame, a floor and a floor cleaning device, said floor cleaning device comprising a water feeding conduit and a water dispensing nozzle, connected to said conduit and opening close to the floor, said nozzle comprising a neck having two converging surfaces facing each other, one of which is formed in the frame of the convenience. 
     The manufacturing of the nozzle, which is ordinarily quite complex and costly, is thereby simplified. It is therefore possible to increase the width of the nozzle and thus cover the entire floor surface area, thereby increasing the quality of cleaning. 
     According to one embodiment, one surface of the neck is formed in the frame of the convenience, whereas the other is formed by a separate section fixed to the frame, the converging surfaces being preferably planar. 
     The section comprises e.g. a pipe butt-jointed to the feeding conduit, whereas the frame may comprise a low wall on which the section is mounted, said low wall having a cut-out for allowing water to pass through, said pipe opening in front of said cut-out. 
     According to one embodiment, the frame comprises an underframe, on which the floor is mounted, and which forms one of the converging surfaces of the neck. The feeding conduit is located between the underframe and the floor. 
     The feeding conduit may be disposed in a groove formed in the underframe. 
     The nozzle may also comprise a deflector butt-jointed to said neck and opening in the vicinity of the floor, said deflector being so, shaped as to canalize the water, flow in order to form a water jet tangent to the floor. 
     The deflector comprises e.g. two canalizing cylindrical surfaces facing each other, which are C-shaped in section. 
     According to another embodiment, the frame comprises a side wall adjacent the floor, in which wall one of the converging surfaces of the neck is formed. 
     Furthermore, the convenience may comprise a basin for collecting garbage drained by the cleaning water, and also a water-recycling pump connected, on the one hand, to the collecting basin and, on the other hand, to the feeding conduit. 
     The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a public convenience. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning device equipping a public convenience as represented on  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational cut view of the public convenience of  FIG. 1 , equipped with the cleaning device of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged cut view of detail IV on  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the public convenience of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the public convenience of  FIG. 1 , along another angle of sight. 
         FIG. 1  shows a public convenience  1  suitable for being installed on public areas in order to satisfy public needs. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Convenience  1  comprises a frame  2  having a global parallelepipedic shape, which comprises side walls (two of which, referenced  3 ,  4 , are shown on  FIG. 1 ) and also a concrete-molded underframe  5  supporting a floor  6 , an upper surface  7  of which forms the floor plan of the convenience  1 . 
     More precisely, floor  6  is floating and supported by studs  8  equipping the underframe  5  (for clarity reasons, the studs are not shown on  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). Silent blocks (not shown) may be interposed between floor  6  and studs  8 , in order to deaden the floor  6  and muffle the convenience  1 , thereby increasing the comfort thereof. 
     The convenience  1  further comprises a water-projecting floor cleaning device  9 , which comprises one or more water feeding conduits  10 ,  11 —two in the depicted example, as shown on FIG.  2 —substantially parallel, located under the floor  6  (more precisely, between the floor  6  and the underframe  5 ). The water feeding conduits  10 ,  11  are embedded in two parallel grooves  12  formed into the underframe  5  between two adjacent stud lines. 
     The cleaning device  9  also comprises a nozzle  13  for dispensing water, connected to the conduits  10 ,  11  and opening in the vicinity of the floor  6 . 
     This nozzle  13  is so designed as to form a substantially planar water blade which, as soon as cleaning is triggered—either in a manual or automatic way—sweeps across the floor plan  7 . 
     The nozzle  13  canalizes the water flow so as to transform it from a circular section (at the end of the conduits  10 ,  11 ) into a flat rectangular section (before its projection toward the floor plan  7 ). 
     To this end, the nozzle  13  comprises, first, a neck  14  which is connected to the conduits  10 ,  11 , and, second, a deflector  15  which is butt-jointed to the neck  14  on the side opposite to the conduits  10 ,  11 . 
     As depicted on  FIG. 4 , the neck  14  has a V-shaped section, and comprises two planar surfaces facing each other which converge on the side opposite to the conduits  10 ,  11 , i.e. a lower surface  16  and an upper surface  17 . 
     As depicted on  FIG. 4 , the lower surface  16  is formed in the frame  2 —more precisely in the underframe  5 —whereas the upper surface  17  is formed by a separate section  18  fixed to the frame  2 . 
     This section  18 , which is made e.g. by steel plate binding, is corner-shaped, and comprises two substantially planar flanges  19 ,  20  at right angle, i.e.:
         an upstream flange with two circular holes  21  formed therethrough, each of which is edged with a linking pipe  22 ,  23  butt-jointed, by means of a coupling sleeve  24 , to the corresponding feeding conduit  10 ,  11 , and   a downstream flange  20  in prolongation of the upstream flange  19  and the internal face of which (i.e. the one facing the underframe  5 ) forms the upper surface  17  of the neck  14 .       

     In addition, as depicted on  FIG. 4 , the downstream flange  20  has, on the side opposite to the upstream flange  19 , a bounded edge  25  which facilitates fixation of the deflector. 
     The underframe  5  comprises a small wall  26 , which is molded during the manufacturing of the underframe  5 , and on which the section  18  is mounted. 
     This small wall  26  comprises a front surface  27 , against which the upstream flange  19  is applied, and an upper surface  28 , against which the downstream flange  20  is applied ( FIG. 4 ). 
     The small wall  26  comprises two cut-outs  29   a ,  29   b  ( FIG. 1 ) for allowing passage of the water flow coming out from the conduits  10 ,  11 , in front of which the pipes  22 ,  23  as soon as section  18  is correctly positioned on the small wall  26 . 
     The lower surface  16  of the neck  14  is formed by two inclined ramps  30   a ,  30   b  which, from an upper point of view (see  FIG. 5 ), have a flat mushroom shape. Each ramp  30   a ,  30   b  comprises a first portion  31   a ,  31   b  of low width, defined by the cut-out  29   a ,  29   b , and a second portion  32   a ,  32   b  of large width, in the prolongation of first portion  31   a ,  31   b , which goes larger behind the small wall  26 —that is to say on the side opposite the front surface  27 . 
     As depicted on  FIG. 5 , the second portions  32   a ,  32   b  are abutted, so that the water coming out from the conduits  10 ,  11  merges, thereby forming at the end of the neck a single flow having a flat rectangular shape. 
     The deflector  15  is a monolithic metallic section, manufactured e.g. by aluminum-alloy molding. In order to make the deflector  15  fit the neck  14  at one end thereof, there is provided an interstice  34  between one end  33  of the floor  6  and the facing side wall  4 . 
     The deflector  15  is so manufactured as to canalize the flow coming out from the neck  14 , thereby forming a water jet tangent to the floor  6 . 
     To this end, the deflector  15  comprises two substantially gutter-shaped or C-shaped coaxial cylindrical walls for canalizing the water, i.e. an internal wall  35  and an external wall  36 . The internal facing surfaces of the walls  35 ,  36  define together, in the prolongation of the neck  14 , a conduit  37  having a flat rectangular section which opens above and adjacent the floor  7  through a rectangular opening  38 . 
     The deflector  15  comprises a wall  39  which connects an upper edge  40  and a lower edge  41  of the internal cylindrical wall  35 . This wall  39  comprises, on the side of the lower edge  41 , a vertical portion  42  which is applied against the edge  25  of the section  18  and through which the deflector is fixed to the section  18 . Wall  39  also comprises, on the side of the upper edge  40 , a right angled lip  43  which, together with the upper edge  40 , defines a housing  44  in which the end  33  of the floor  6  is introduced. 
     A lip  45  is provided in the prolongation of the cylindrical external wall  36 , on the side opposite to the opening  38 , said lip  45  being applied against the lower surface  16  of the neck  14 , so as to stabilize the deflector  15  while it in the right position. 
     In addition, in order to seal the link between the neck  14  and the deflector  15 , the vertical portion  42  of the wall  39  and the lip  45  both comprise grooves  46 ,  47  in which sealing joints are embedded, so that the sealing joints are compressed between, on the one hand, the vertical portion  42  and the edge  25  and, on the other hand, the lip  45  and the lower surface  16 . 
     Furthermore, a the deflector comprises a cantilever table  48  extending from the opening  38  to the side wall  4  in order to conceal interstice  34 . 
     As depicted on  FIG. 4 , the deflector  15  comprises a stiffening wing  49  connecting the external cylindrical wall  36  to the table  48 , and also a vertical wing  50  which extends in the prolongation of the table  48  and is embedded in a sustaining lug  51 , thereby fixing the deflector  15  to the wall  4 . 
     As disclosed hereinbefore, the nozzle  13 , which is in formed partly in the frame  2  (more precisely in the underframe  5 ) and partly in one or more separate pieces (i.e. section  18  and deflector  15 ). Accordingly, the dimensions of the nozzle  13  may be increased—in particular its width (i.e. perpendicular to the water flow), which is thus not limited. 
     Therefore, the nozzle  13  may lie all along the side wall  4 , so that the cleaning water sweeps across the whole floor plan  7 . 
     As soon as cleaning of the floor plan  7  is triggered, the water supplied by the conduits  10 ,  11  to the nozzle is projected through opening  38 , forming a flat water blade which sweeps across the floor  6  in a direction opposite to the side wall  4 . 
     Although this does not appear on the figures, the floor  6  is inclined so that the cleaning water is drained toward a garbage collecting basin  52  (including paper, cans, etc.). The drained garbage is thereafter collected by housekeeping personnel. 
     In order to facilitate the draining of garbage on the floor  6 , the floor plan  7  comprises grooves  53  parallel to the water flow direction, i.e. perpendicular to the side wall  4 , so that the cleaning water, flowing in the grooves  53 , lifts the garbage and drains it toward the collecting basin  52 . 
     Furthermore, in order to reduce water consumption, the water circuit of the cleaning device  9  may be of the closed type. To this end, the water circuit comprises e.g. a pump  54  connected, on the one hand, to the collecting basin  52 , where sewage is pumped out, and, on the other hand, to the feeding conduits  10 ,  11  wherein the water collected in the basin  52  is pulsed toward the nozzle  13 . 
     Although the basin  52  is designed to collect most of the garbage, e.g. by means of a grille (not shown), some dirt may remain in the water. In order to clean the dirty water, the pump  54  may be equipped with a filter, which may be of the removable type so as to be replaced whenever it is necessary. 
     Mounting the cleaning device  9  is simple, as will be explained now. 
     First, the deflector  15  is mounted onto the section  18 , the vertical portion  42  being applied against and fixed to the edge  25 , e.g. by means of screws. 
     The coupling sleeves  24  are then coupled to the pipes  22 ,  23 , which are thereafter butt-jointed to the conduits  10 ,  11 , whereas the coupling sleeves  24  are coupled to the conduits  10 ,  11 . 
     The conduits  10 ,  11  are then installed in the corresponding grooves  12  and connected to the pump  54  ( FIG. 2 ). The section  18  is mounted on the small wall  16 , whereas the vertical wing  50  is introduced in the sustaining lug  51 . 
     The floor  6  is thereafter provided, the end  33  thereof being introduced in the housing  44 . 
     Although the conduits  10 ,  11  extend under the floor  6  in the disclosed embodiment, the invention is not limited to this particular construction. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the conduits may run in or on the side wall  4 , which needs no deep change in the design of the cleaning device. Practically, the orientation of the nozzle shall be modified: instead of being oriented horizontally, the nozzle shall extend vertically along. Others side wall  4 , which shall form the lower surface of the neck instead of the underframe (as described hereabove). This kind of construction is as simple to manufacture and mount as the above-described construction.