Patent ID: 8156608

Claim:
A mobile surface cleaner comprising: a mobile body configured to travel over a surface; a source of a liquid; a pump; a liquid dispenser; a functional generator, which comprises an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and which electrochemically activates the liquid from the liquid source that is passed through the functional generator into an anolyte liquid in the anode chamber and a catholyte liquid in the cathode chamber; a flow path, from the liquid source to the liquid dispenser, which passes through the functional generator and lacks any liquid storage tanks between the functional generator and the dispenser and is configured to combine all of the anolyte liquid produced in the anode chamber and all of the catholyte liquid produced in the cathode chamber to form a combined anolyte and catholyte liquid on the cleaner without an intermediate step of storing either of the anolyte or catholyte liquids produced by the functional generator; and a control circuit coupled to the pump and the functional generator and configured to provide: a first operating mode during motion of the cleaner relative to the surface, during which the control circuit energizes the pump to pump the liquid along the flow path and energizes the functional generator to electrochemically activate the liquid that is passed through the functional generator and during which substantially all of the combined anolyte and catholyte liquid is dispensed from the mobile floor cleaning device upon electrical activation by the functional generator; and a second operating mode when the cleaner is at rest relative to the surface being cleaned, during which the control circuit de-energizes the pump to terminate flow of the cleaning liquid along the flow path and the control circuit de-energizes the functional generator.