Patent ID: 8505156

Claim:
A floor cleaning apparatus comprising: a chassis having a forward end and a rearward end; a plurality of floor engaging wheels supporting said chassis above a floor; a first tank supported by said chassis for holding a cleaning solution that is dispensed onto the floor; a second tank supported by said chassis for holding cleaning solution recovered from the floor; a vacuum source in fluid communication with said second tank draws recovered cleaning solution into said second tank and leaves a film of cleaning solution on the floor; a diffuser supported by said chassis directing gas toward the floor along substantially the entire width of said chassis to evaporate cleaning solution dispensed from said first tank and not recovered by said vacuum source; and a gas source exhausting a gas into said diffuser at a first pressure, and said diffuser exhausting said gas out of openings of said diffuser at rate that maintains a positive pressure in said diffuser no greater than said first pressure to ensure said gas is evenly distributed through said openings without disrupting efficiency of said gas source.